Monday, August 13, 2007

Good News Come in Twos

2007 is only half over, and I'm loving it already!

Lots of good things have happened, and the latest of these had me screaming at the top of my lungs barely an hour ago, sending the cat scampering to hide under the bed and my husband come running to see what heinous crime was being committed. Instead of his wife all bloody, he found me with a grin slicing my face in half, dancing a weird kind of jig to a strange kind of chant. When he'd finally managed to make me coherent, he understood that I was repeating over and over, "I won a Palanca! I won a Palanca!"

That he replied, "Congratulations, honey, I'm so proud of you... but, uhm, what's a Palanca?" is the subject of a different blog entry altogether, but if you're asking yourself the same question, you can read about the awards here and here.

I placed second in the English Essay category for my piece, Culture Shocked: A Story of Recovery, which, it's easy enough from the title to guess, is a lot about you've been reading about in this blog for the last two years.

Oh, and the second piece of good news is that the shortest short story I have ever written in my not-so-short life, Making a Garden, has been accepted for publication in the flash fiction anthology being edited by Vince Groyon for Milflores Publishing. Groyon writes me that the tentative title of the book is Mga Kuwentong Paspasan: Very Short Stories for Harried Readers, and that it is due out before the end of the year. And, yes, I also danced a jig when I found out about this one.

P.S. (a.k.a., Let Me Plug): Remember Sawi, the Milflores anthology I told you guys was being launched in December 2006? Well, it finally did come out, but a couple of months ago. If you're interested, you can buy it through National Bookstore Online.

27 comments:

Dean said...

Apol! I am so delighted and so proud of you!!! Yes, I am using up my exclamation point quota for the year, but what the heck!!! Huzzah, now we do the dance of joy!

pgenrestories said...

Congratulations, Apol! As soon as I found out, I put this bit of news up on the PGS blog. I hope you don't mind, since your story's coming out in a future PGS issue!

Noelle Q. de Jesus said...

Congratulations Apol!

Apol said...

Dean!!!!!!!!!! Exclamation points, keep 'em coming!!!!!!!!! Woooooohhhhooooooo!!!!!!!

Hey, Kenneth, why would I mind??? I'm excited to read PGS! I'll have a friend coming over bring me some of your back issues.

Thanks, Noelle!

francesbean said...

Congratulations!
I read your blog regularly thru google reader :)

-Frances

Anonymous said...

Well done Apol! I knew it all along that you've got a lot of talents! Tess

Anonymous said...

YAY!!! WOOHOO!!! YEHEY for Apol!!! *using up all my own exclamation points, then giving you a big, tight hug*

I just now read about your win on Dean's blog, and made haste to head over here to congratulate you too. How utterly, utterly fabulous! And how wonderful it is that you won your first Palanca after having left behind the publishing industry, moving to the French countryside, and spending your time crafting and tending to your garden...what a dream life you have! Absolutely well-deserved! :-D

I think I have a few more exclamation points in reserve, so...You rock, Apol!!!

Welcome to my headspace. said...

Ohhhhhh joy! Congrats, congrats, well done Apol!

kala said...

OMG, congratulations, Apol!

JEROME GOMEZ said...

ate, congrats! ako rin!

Arashi-KIshu said...

Ang galing!!!Congratulations! What an honor! Teka at mabili nga yan pag-uwi ko ng pilipinas!

Anonymous said...

Apol, maraming congratulations!!! It's a much deserved win. Galing-galing!!!

Romeliza

A said...

MAMU! Literally and figuratively, WINNER KA! Congratulations! Wahoo! Ako'y maglalasing alang-alang sa iyo. Banzai!

tsop said...

Congratulations, Apol. :)

JEROME GOMEZ said...

2nd place. short fiction filipino. congrats ulit!

The Disparate Housewife said...

Congratulations Apol!!! Uy, ano na nga pala ang nangyari sa book? Puwedeng puwede pa i-review yon ; ) Let me know!

Apol said...

Hey, FRANCESBEAN, you take pretty pictures! Bookmarking your site :)

TESS, LOU, KALA, KATHY, thank you.

KATRINA, sarap ng hug mo at funny nga ano, na when I quit writing for a living did I really start writing :) Rocks!!!

ROMELIZA, ikaw ba si Romeliza ng UPRep? Kahit na hindi: Salamat at hello!

ABI, iinom mo ako ng Cobra, at namumunga uli ang fig tree so baka may fig jam ka sa Enero.

PAOLO, hello! Alam mo bang may mga jologs din dito? Susunogin nila ang kotse mo kapag nabuwisit sila sa iyo.

JEROME, ang galing! Congratulations congratulations!

IANNE, salamat. Na-i-launch siya nung Disyembre. Hindi ka ba napadalhan ng kopya?

Anonymous said...

Apol, yes it is moi!

And I will say this again and again: galing-galing!

All the best and keep those Palancas comin'!

Romeliza

decorator said...

wooohhhooooooo!!!!!!!!!


dating boss ko yan!!!!!!! winner ka talaga atih!

Makis said...

Congrats Apol! Will try to find your writings when I go home to Manila next year :)

Apol said...

Salamat, ROMELIZA, GWYN, at MAKIS :)

wysgal said...

Congratulations! =) Do you have a copy of your essay available online for people to read? I always thought it was a shame that Palanca winners didn't get enough mileage in terms of having their stuff published ...

Anonymous said...

More awards Apol ! Go for it ! CONGRATULATIONS ;) :

mcsister said...

APOL! Congratulations! I'm so proud of you :)

Chinachix said...

hi apol...just swung by after reading jerome's blog...congratulations!!! i just asking jerome if Palanca uploads winning entries online...

moudifa said...

Hello ! My name is Margarita.Marquis author of the book ( Culture shock from the top ) I am also a blogger and I am base in France.Congratulations for your Palanca award ( English essay - Culture Shock )It sounds familiar.I would like to share to you the story of my book since you might be the talent Iam looking. My tel - 0143969942
Sincerely
Margarita.Marquis

Apol said...

Thank you, EVERYONE!

WYSGAL and CHINACHIX, will have to ask the Palanca Foundation about that, and get back to you.