The New Normal

Last Saturday, we flew to New Jersey to watch the BTS concert with my younger daughter. Please don’t think she suddenly became a spoiled, only-child after our firstborn left for college. Remember the time we almost moved to NJ in June? Yes, we bought tickets for the concert thinking we’d be there around this time. Of course, a lot of things had happened since then.

I was not a fan of this K-pop group or culture until I saw this video of the full speech of RM, leader of the BTS group, at the United Nations.

For a K-pop group to be invited to address the United Nations was no small feat. They had a message to tell and it was a compelling and timely one.

And this was before the concert so I became even more curious. I asked my daughter to play the songs in the car. At first, she was embarrassed, but when she saw that I didn’t make fun of her, she became more open. The beat and melody were actually catchy. So come concert time, I surprisingly enjoyed the high-energy, vibrant, crowd-engaging show. I did more research on why BTS is such a hit when you barely understand what they’re singing. This video on why BTS is so popular explained the strange phenomenon.

But was it just a matter of personal taste? Apparently not. Watch this video and learn how the South Korea government uses music to uplift their economy and advocate for peace.

So that’s what transpired at the homefront.

What about my new pets? My pet DOuGhy is still barking and is a smash hit with his new tricks. See how I mashed up an Eastern fave, pandesal, with this Western ingredient, sourdough starter and came up with pandesour, and submitted a festive sourdough recipe in Our Neighborhood magazine for the holiday issue.

Inspired Copywriting Bakes FB Group

Follow my baker’s journey in FB, like my page and share it with five of your friends and I’ll mail you a dehydrated sourdough starter.

As for my other pet, she’s more like a cat. She drinks milk, but right now, she’s asleep in the refrigerator, just like DOuGhy (but in different compartments, because they don’t like breathing the same air). That’s a clue. I’ll talk more about her in my next newsletter.

Did I get back on the writing track after last two week’s epiphany on my writer’s block?

Not yet, because I realized, there’s another factor keeping the lock in place.

The back story.

Without this, I’d end up with a sagging middle. So before I put my pen on paper for Chapter 11 of How I Met Dr. Anthony Sparker, I need to set my hero’s timeline in place. But not after I’ve finished the workshop assignment for the American Medical Writers’ Association. Gotta beat that October 10 deadline. Yes, I also like writing technical, scientific stuff.

Back to creative writing, although I still have that sagging middle of the web novel to fix, I’m happy to say that my "middle" has a hint of six packs and is no longer sagging as much, thanks to running and the half-marathon training program. In less than five months, I’d be running with Mickey Mouse in Disney Land.

Click here to follow my running journey in FB.

And this gets me to another writing project.

Did you know that all these passion for writing started out in 2008 when I trained to run? That’s when I self-published my book, Running the Millionaire Lane. And I thought that would make it to the best-selling list! Yes, that’s always the newbie’s malady, thinking she’d hit a jackpot on her first writing stint. Ten years and many writing courses after, I know better. I’m revisiting my memoir from twenty years ago. I have a feeling that straightening my backstory as a writer will straighten out the backstories of my web novel and manuscript. Please pray with me. Traveling down memory roads of failures is never easy, yet these past months as I’ve shared in my daily devotionals, I’ve seen how the Lord had turned my failures into glorious moments, a glimpse of what His redemption means in my life.

I think I’m in a good place where writing is concerned. I have enough writing fares to choose from. Delving too much in fiction and my head becomes out of touch with reality. Limiting my craft to medical writing, and I grow sterile. Focusing too much on my memoir and I get self-obsessed and narcissistic. It’s fun to engage in the community and publish articles in the local magazine, write about my hobbies and all those other things that give life its wonderful flavor.

I have sought the kingdom of God through writing. I wait with expectant faith for His promises to be fulfilled.