What is it anyway? Well, the title tells it all. But for folks who aren’t familiar with it, take a quick trip to Wikipedia to learn the elements and criteria.

Here are my sample work and check out mechanics of the mini-writing contest that I’m currently hosting:

Slick as Chocolate
He takes my hand, leads me to the cupboard and motioned that I pick him up.
“What do you want for lunch, baby?”
“Okolet ek” He said, confusing me at first till I saw what he was pointing at. “Oh, chocolate eggs, sweetie?”
“Okay” He said.
Grrr. Who ever said kids aren’t slick? Heh.

A Mum’s Kibitz
Daughter: Mum, is it my fault I haven’t found love?
Mum: No, sweetheart. It’s nobody’s fault. These things take time.
Daughter: It’s just that I sometimes believe it’s a curse.
Mum: Like you’re carrying your parents’ sins?
Daughter: Well, yea. Specifically Dad’s.
Mum: Okay, you can blame your father then.

Crappy Week
He asked how I was. I responded, I’m fantastic. He agreed. I couldn’t help blushing then grow nervous when he pressed on asking how I really was. I said,
“Alright. Had a crappy week. Simply because I’ve missed you eventhough I know I shouldn’t.”
A long pause before he softly said,
“I missed you, too.”

A Wedding
There he is, the man I’ve prayed for my entire life, standing in front of me with all the love showing in his eyes. He’s letting the world know the depth of his commitment.
And I can only stand there in silence with unshed tears as he leaned down and kissed his new wife.
Never ask a scorned wife.

Quiet Desperation
He’d always been there in the shadows. Looking on her life like the moon illuminating the darkness. He’d seen everything that none has cared to know.
Yet at that moment, he saw the quiet desperation in her tear-stained almond eyes.
It became clear to him then — all the rest were never really her destiny.

The Apology
Doorbell rings, she answers it, sniffling. Her jaw dropped with what she saw.
A man holding dozens and dozens of peach roses.
“Let every petal wipe away each tear you’ve shed.”
She melted. She moved to hug him.
But he just shoved the flowers into her arms and asked her to sign for them.

Dealing with Death
She can’t believe he’s dying. Seeing him lying on there with all the tubes attached to his body, she felt weak.
“He can’t die. He mustn’t die.” Her thoughts silently screamed.
She can’t stand to watch him like this, with all the vibrance and colour gone.
So, she turned the telly off and stomped away.

A Bit of Faith
“Impossible –” she said in disbelief. Stole a glance at him, hoping it went unnoticed. He gave her a smile that baffled her.
She had harboured feelings for him from the moment she set eyes on him, long before he knew her.
He gently took her hand, “Anything’s possible.”
All was right with the world.

Finally..
It was the moment she had waited for. Memories of laughter and hope came flooding her mind. He’s finally here smiling at her just like she imagined he would. She sees the excitement in his stride as he walked up to her.
Looking into his eyes that very moment, she realised — she didn’t care anymore.

Life’s Funny Ironies v.1
I was enjoying a latte at a cafe when I noticed a woman stand up, with coffee on one hand and a cigarette on the other.
I snorted in surprise, with my drink almost coming out through my nose, as I watched her walk away.
The back of her shirt reads, “Respiratory Therapy.”

The Limit
She’s not the type who’d give up easily. She always see positive things in people no matter how badly she gets treated sometimes — including him.
He was guilty of that.
She wanted to make things right and start over but he completely missed the point so she finally was forced to say, “I’ve had enough.”

Crime and Politics
He died that day more than a couple of decades ago. Gunned down on the tarmac. Accused of killing man who then became a national hero.
He owes the country a good man in the government. But did he really?
You see, he was supposedly in jail serving time for a different crime.

It Comes Naturally
She stares at it nervously. Unsure of what to do and how to act. You can’t really learn it in any textbook or take up a course. There’s simply no formula for it.
But reaching out and touching that little hand, melted her heart. She knew then she’ll make it as a mum.

The Contract
She opens her eyes. She knows something’s changed.
She picks up her ringing mobile.
“Are you ready?” John asked. She mumbles, “Yes.”
She hangs up, leans back, and just stared at the ceiling.
“It wasn’t a dream,” she whispers disbelievingly.
She focuses her stare on her signature’s fresh ink on the multi-million dollar contract.

Reflection
Teardrop. Raindrop. They create a puddle, where she stares at a reflection.
“Who are you?” She asked.
“I’m not who you think I am.” It answers.
Taken aback, her crying ceased.
“Drama. Drama. Get out of the rain, you stupid idiot!” She breathes a sigh of relief while her mom dragged her inside the house.

No More, No Less
What Sam wants, Sam gets.
She wanted to experience the world, she lived like a nomad.
She wanted to be famous, she was the favourite topic of rumor-mongers.
She wanted to marry the ideal man, she did and now was a widow.
Indeed, it’s true. What Sam wants, Sam gets. No more, no less.

Out of the Shadows
When Simon left, Samuel was torn between rejoicing and grieving; his brother was, after all, his best mate. They did everything together. What Simon did, Samuel followed suit. He was his hero.
Now, it feels like he’s breathing easily. He can finally step out of his brother’s shadow and know who he truly is.

As A Matter of Fact
On the other side of the wall, they can hear scratching then hissing of a fire coming into life. The feeling of dread enveloped the three that’s left.
Light enters the room once again, one was taken, never to return.
Before all’s too late, one admitted to the other,
“You know… we’re a match.”

Crazy Eights
“You’re good,” he said.
“Me? Good?” she sputtered disbelievingly. “I don’t think so.”
“I’ve watched you play this hand with ease,” he admitted with respect.
“I really can’t say I’m good at this,” she just quietly told him. “You see — the fate of this last card rests on the player whose turn is before mine.”

Daddy’s Girl
Sylvie felt guilty about how she’s been treating her father these past few years. He may be wrong about a lot of things but he’s still her father after all.
She was about to patch things up with him that day. Instead, she found herself down on the floor drenched in her own blood.

Vincent, the Dreamboat
Kat loved Vincent.
She loved his quirks and eccentricities. She adored his boyish charm. She admired his many talents. She celebrated all his triumphs. She had not met a guy to match his sweetness and generosity — he’s practically a dreamboat.
Yes, Vincent was generous.
Just how generous? Kat found out she wasn’t the only one.

That Warm Feeling
Him: We’ve been friends for long time yet I still can’t figure you out.
Her: Just quit figuring me out, silly.
Him: How else can I know how you’d respond when I ask you to be my girl?
Her: Let’s just keep walking.
Pulse racing, she cleared her throat. She’s finally experiencing that warm feeling.

Wrong Turn
She tightly gripped the steering wheel.
“But the road —” She sputtered, “the signs —”
She’s all alone in the dead car.
“It felt so natural to turn left back there,” she said.
The wonderfully paved road led her to a dead end in the middle of nowhere.
“I knew I should’ve turned right instead,” she muttered.

“I like you.”
“It’s a bit ambiguous, don’t you think?” He asked with a touch of cynicism.
“Depends on how you use it, I guess,” she quietly answered.
“What do you mean when you said it?” He pried further.
“Let’s just say that my interest goes beyond platonic.”
After a long pause, he finally said, “Do you smoke?”

Reverse Psychology
“Don’t fall for me,” she warned him.
“Eh. I’m not in any danger of doing such a thing,” he chuckled, “so, no worries.”
“I’m just saying so everything’s clear between us.”
He laughs out loud but as soon as the laughter died down, he slowly begins to wonder about this sweet, crazy, unpretentious, beautiful girl.

Cold Break
“Don’t leave…” he cried desperately.
Her steps faltered for a moment but she knew that he was watching her as she was walking away. She also knew that if she turned around, she would see eyes filled with hurt — a man in pain. It would’ve been a sight enough to melt even a stoic heart.

I know there are a couple that’s not mine (we had opened the blog for occasional contributors) but I can’t remember which ones. Anyway, to make this more fun, I’d like to invite you folks to vote which of my samples you like best (you only get to pick one!) and, of course,to try it out. Write something that will qualify as 55 fiction and leave it on the comment area below or you can blog about it but make sure to link back to this post and leave a comment so I’d know where to look!. You can only enter once!

I’ll be choosing the best of the lot (plus I’ll be inviting 2 more judges) and the winner will get one (1) Ruled Moleskine Notebook, a simple way to thank you for participating and to encourage you to write more! I’ll be running this all through the month of January — strict deadline: 31 January 2011, 11:59pm — and I’ll announce the winner on the 1st of Feb.

Can’t wait to read your entries!

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I flail.

I run.

I reach.

I fall.

Sitting up and staring at my left fist, I wonder what I’d discover hidden within. Hope resides amongst ill-feelings and doubts. Wishing I’d break free and feel the rush of satisfaction with a set of stringed words, meaning and all.

I hope.

I write.

I wish.

Fervently.

There will always be tomorrow. Maybe.

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Out of habit, she takes her nightly coffee and cigarette on her front porch where she could witness, without meaning to, the lives of the building’s tenants.

Memories of an old couple coming down the street, burdened by bags of groceries, obviously had come from the supermarket a couple of blocks away.

A group of kids on their bikes. And a few others playing on the curb.

A single-mom going out on dates with a different man every couple of months, which seems to validate her initial thought about the woman — that she can’t hold on to a guy long enough or perhaps has been choosing the wrong men.

There was also this lady, who she hasn’t figured out whether if she was a spinster or a widow. She would often see her sitting quietly by the window, reading or watering her geraniums, always with Frank Sinatra or Judy Garland playing in the background.

Hearing the shouting matches coming from a middle-aged couple’s unit had become a normal thing. Rumor has it that the husband was cheating on the wife.

And the blaring music from the countless parties thrown by the 3 guys who were rooming with each other. They worked odd jobs, if they worked at all, that it actually amazed her how they could afford paying the rent and throwing those parties.

Tonight, she is left with silence that seem to echo in the empty lot.

She weighs if she misses everything or not. She finds it a bit unsettling since she had grown accustomed to all the noise and the goings on. All she sees now is the sign that says that a private company is building fancy townhouses on the lot.

New neighbours. A whole new set of stories to witness.

However, for the next few months, she’ll be discovering a different scene. The empty lot and a clearing, which allows her to just stare at the night sky. She’s discovering a story that’s been there all along. Her own.

The recent changes makes her wonder if they were all for her benefit. Finding herself alone with her thoughts — yes, thoughts that are her own — gave her the opportunity to re-examine what was missing in her life. Realising that she was so caught up with what’s been going on around her — with other people’s lives — that she forgot how it is to really experience a moment such as this.

Alone. Silence. Seeing the beauty behind all the ugliness that the old building had stood for.

She had felt it wasn’t right for it to be torn down at first but now having had time to really think and experience not having it there anymore, she’s now free to consider the possibilities of what the future can and will bring. There was no stopping it now. She’s letting it happen. She’s starting to believe that once the townhouses are built, her own house will finally feel like her home.

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I come to you kneeling in eternity. I bear gifts and symphonies. Let it be a sweet aroma that surrounds your throne. Please turn your eyes and look upon me. Please do not hide your face from me.

I came and experienced you on earth without question. I came to you in wonder and joy. I embraced your entire being and I had become a light to your darkness. I came in a time that required my presence. And I saw and experienced your delight. I had chosen to be found. The gods favored me for out of all the angels in the heavens and the mortals of the earth, they had chosen me for you as you were chosen for me.

(more…)

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After years of isolation, he faced a reflection or perhaps an opposite of his personality. A mysterious power that draws him toward something that goes beyond his understanding and control. Used to his ways of maintaining control over circumstances to save him from hurt or pain. A man can never be too careful, especially someone who vowed to never bend his principles. An event that requires a blind leap brings a certain unexplainable terror that prevents him from following through. The idea of copping out is far easier and logically feasible rather than staying and letting the mystery unfold.

He arrogantly concluded that he found out all he needs to know. A sign of cowardice, perhaps. However, little did he know that he’s merely reacting to something that scared him. Fears that are fruits of his past, which seemingly has a great hold on him. Confronting something that he cannot control, he chooses to let go. Resorting back to his old ways.

Is this a product of three decades of living a life as a recluse? Believing that he has learned all he needs to survive but refusing to acknowledge that there are still things that he needed to know in order to live. Years that he had spent getting to where he is now is never enough to equip him to make a sound decision in continuing on to the next level. His pre-conceived notions about life, people, love or romance, should be thrown out the window and let his mind be open to exceptions.

Life never works the way we think it would. It will eternally surprise and amaze us. And that’s a good thing. Having lived in a shell or not, that doesn’t change this fact, that much I’ve learned. And no matter how much we try to control our destiny, it is only in death will we find the freedom and wisdom of it all.

“IDT, ta vie telle que tu la connais est finie. Et ne revierdra jamais.. sasha”

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18112000

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Is God empty?
Instead, He is the meaning
Does God bring sadness?
Instead, He brings happiness
If God is there, am I ever lonely?
He is omnipresent

God has brought me this far in life.
It may not always be happy
But He’s always there to comfort me.
He is life. Despite the irony.

08.11.2000

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Sophia is nearing her end of life’s road. She just came from the hospital that afternoon where she learned of her fate. She is to die of leukemia. What is the big deal about death anyway? Everyone is heading that direction, too. Though, she knew she just got ahead of the line that’s all. She ponders on how she had lived her life. She thought of how many moons she had seen, how many places she has been to, and how many people she has come across. This is what they say that happens at the end of your life, seeing your life flash before your eyes, seeing that you have realized all your dreams… no more regrets. However, it has been said that it happens in a blur and in the moment right before you die. But in her case, it started when the doctor told her that she’s dying.

Sophia feels physically weak but strong enough to face what lies ahead. Seemingly like a torture but claims that this is what makes life beautiful. The words, Carpi Diem finally sinks in. It’s like the curtain has been lifted from her eyes and she is beginning to see a different world.

Now, she understands why she was made to be this way. She endured a lot of pain and drowned in the currents of love in the manner that life had packaged it. She is who she is because this is her destiny.

“And man has only one destiny, right?” Sophia asked the sky.

She then stood up and extended her arms up to the midnight sky then closed her eyes.

Sophia smiled as a thought dawned on her, “It is only now that I’m learning to breathe…”

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“I’m not stupid. A little naive but not stupid.” She screamed silently. “Go to hell, you bastard!”

There were occasional “asshole-s” and “jerk-s” thrown in between punches the entire time. Then she throws a final jab. She stops and lowers her arms, breathing heavily. You can still see the tension in her shoulders, which can also be translated to her saying “leave me alone.” And looking closely, you couldn’t distinguish the tears from the perspiration but she was crying.

The pain she had stored deep within are now numbed by throbbing and blistered hands. With all the anger gone from her eyes, she takes off her gloves and starts to relax her clenched jaw. She then leaves the room with a swinging punching bag behind. Looks back and says, “it’s just between the two of us.” before letting the door close after her then walks away.

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