"Writers write in solitude, while readers read in solitude."
This is what Sir John Dante, a Cebuano fiction writer, said to us when we invited him to be the speaker of the writing workshop we once had in our university. I cannot forget how I immediately found beauty in those words. I mean, don't you find it amazing how both writers and readers can have the freedom they want to do the things they love individually and yet still find comfort in each other? To do something you are passionate about in solitude while not being completely in solitude, to discover and to connect with your own people—that is what I am much looking forward to here in Hive.
Hello there, beautiful people from all over the world! I know that I already did quite some rambling back there, but allow me to properly introduce myself to all of you. My name is Abbeguel Morata, but much preferable if you refer to me as Abby. I'm a 22-year-old Filipina who is taking up a Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English. I live in Danao City, one of the many municipalities of Cebu.
I came from a small family. I have my Mama, my Papa, my Ate (older sister), and my Lola (grandma). And of course, our family won't be complete without my adorable little kitties: Churchy, Hobi, Yukichi, and Kopi. I grew up surrounded with love and kindness because of them.
Aside from my family, I also have my friends who are like family to me. I am glad to say that I am blessed with friends who literally grew up with me as we embarked on our individual journeys in life together. I met friends in elementary, made some from high school, and some in college. I may have met them in different timelines, but what matters is that all of them chose to stay all the way to our last year in college and are all looking forward to making more memories together in our next stages in life. We keep our circle small yet golden, and I think that's what matters the most. The goal is not to make millions of friends, but rather to make millions of memories with your homies.
Hobbies/Interests
Now, don't get me started!
When it comes to hobbies and interests, I have lots to tell.
Warning: You might get overwhelmed!
No, just kidding. I promise you, it's going to be fun or should I say, I'm hoping for it to be.
Art
I live for art's sake. It may sound cliche, but I bet I cannot put the exact amount of love I have for art in words. I started by creating wonky doodles of Nobita and Doraemon from my favorite anime I watched back then as a kid. Next, I moved on to creating multiple doodles of eyes at the back of my notebook when class gets bored way back in high school. Until one day, I discovered myself discovering and experimenting more and more with art. I started doing landscape paintings, making human pencil sketches, digital character illustrations, and many more.
Reading
I enjoy reading books and smelling them. Haha yes I smell them and I know every book lover will understand me. The beauty that reading brings to a person is magical. To disappear from your chair and get transported to different places and be acquainted with different characters; to feel butterflies in your stomach and fall in love in different ways when reading romance books; to hear the loud beat of drums and have cold sweats when reading thrillers; to cry like crazy until you find it hard to breathe when reading heartbreaking stories—it's the rollercoaster adventure I'm always excited to have. Sometimes, all it takes to silence the painful noises around us is a single book.
Writing
Alongside reading is writing.
I love to write! Writing isn't only a skill but a special outlet for many people. That's what I think about it. You may not believe it if I tell you that I cannot count how many times exactly writing has helped me. Back when I had my first puppy love in junior high school, imagine the feeling of confusion and an uncontainable bundle of emotions that were about to explode, but all were safely defused by writing. During the time I had my first ever greatest heartbreak, writing pulled me out of the void that encapsulated me. Putting those feelings into words and those words into a complete novel or poem. The unspeakable thoughts I had found their way to be told.
Photography
Admiring and taking photos of the moon is another thing that fills my heart with excitement. At times, I talk to Luna, shower her with adoring words, tell her secrets, and ask her questions she'll never give answers to. It sounds silly but comforting. It warms your heart from the chilling breeze of the night.
The sky and the sea are another subject I love capturing.
Couch Potato
Yeah, I'm a potato. I treasure the time I spent for movies. I grew up watching Korean and Japanese dramas, anime, and other types of films. I love watching horror films too, but funny to say that I'm not good at watching them. So, I always watch it with my mom and with a pillow on my hands. I sometimes sacrifice sleep and stay up until 5 in the morning, which is very much not commendable.
Learning Other Languages
One last hobby of mine is learning foreign languages. At the moment, I am learning Hangul (the Korean language) by myself. I bought books and used multiple applications to communicate with native Koreans. My progress is at a slow pace, but I am enjoying every bit of it. Aside from Korean, I am also learning Japanese bit by bit. My goal is to get better with these languages to better understand the countries' cultures since South Korea and Japan are in my future travel goals.
How I discovered Hive
Now, enough with my hobbies, and let me tell you how I discovered Hive.
I cannot wait to share my little adventures and snippets of every introverted thing I do. I hope to find my people who'll enjoy my ramblings here in Hive. Let us do things in solitude and find comfort in one another.
Happy reading!
