And in case you want to know, this is my latest Facebook status: Edgar Samar spent his last weekend in the Philippiness before the International Writing Program writing messages to people he'd miss--all of them friends, in one way or another, some past loves, others former students, or mentors, or dorm roommates, a few fellow writers, favorite cousins, childhood neighbors, grade school seatmates, high school barkada, JHNamers, & even those who began only as readers of his works, as if it was a real goodbye, as if the trip wasn't only for 3 months, as if he was not missing them, missed them, already, as if he could send all those letters for real. I did send some of those letters.
Sa Filipino, isa sa paborito kong nobelista sa komiks ang sa palagay ko'y may pinakamagagandang pamagat ng akda na batay sa tauhan: si Rod Santiago, na kadalasan ding ilustrador ng kaniyang nobela: Ang Babaeng Nawawala sa Sarili, Anghel ng Demonyo, Bad Boy (oo, ang nobelang batayan ng pelikulang nagbigay ng ganitong imahen kay Robin Padilla) . Sa ngayon, hindi ko alam kung kaya ko nang magsulat ng nobela na may ganoon katinding tauhan para gawin siyang pamagat ng buong akda. Basta't alam ko na kung paano sisimulan ang Sa Kasunod ng 909 at lagi lang namang kailangang magsimula sa simula, na hindi kinakailangang ang pamagat ng akda.