you touch people in a way that you can’t hope to do with your poetry or fiction

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been writing "Penman" for the STAR for four years now. The weeks go by very quickly when you’re writing a column–as soon as you finish one, the next is falling due. But it’s been an exhilarating and rewarding experience, hopefully not just for me but for my readers as well.

Not to put opinion writers down (I used to write editorials for another paper as well), but a lifestyle column is probably an even truer gauge, a more reliable record, of how people think and feel about their life at any given time. As with my own fiction, I see my job as celebrating the commonplace as much as taking my readers to where they’ve never been. I may seem to write about myself and my experiences a lot, but it’s really only to strike a responsive chord in the reader; whether I’m in Pasig or Paris, I’m your eyes and ears.

Of course, "lifestyle" can mean anything and everything, and I appreciate the fact that I’ve been given leave to write about anything that strikes my fancy, as long as I make the connection to our readers. This allows me to deal with a range of subjects, which also keeps me from getting bored; if I get bored, you will be, too. Some of my columns will be more interesting and informative than others. My nostalgia pieces and writing lectures always get good feedback, but I enjoy myself the most when the column–and the Internet, which I depend on for much of my background information–leads me to new discoveries, such as those I made writing one of my personal favorites, "Divining Dante" (June 23, 2003).

The best thing about writing for a paper like the STAR is its tremendous reach. You realize this when you get e-mail from readers around the world almost as soon as your column appears, online and in print. Sometimes you get hate mail as well (not to mention loads of spam and personal pleas for help with term papers), but that comes with the territory. The important thing is that you touch people with your column in a way that–at least in this country–you can’t hope to do with your poetry or fiction.

I often deal with literary and cultural topics, but some of my best moments as a STAR columnist have had nothing to do with either. Thanks to the column, we were able to raise enough support to get a kidney transplant for a good man named Dionisio Ulep, who’s back on his feet and eager to work. My piece on the success stories of Dualtech scholars apparently also helped some people get a new handle on their lives. I’m no activist or social worker–I’d make a lousy one, truth to tell, being too grumpy and impatient in real life–but now and then I like to surprise myself by doing something out of character.

It’s been a great four years with the STAR, and I hope to remain onboard a lot longer. Many thanks to my patient editors and readers for giving me a weekly reason to write.