Prologue
For a writer, he writes to establish a communication between him and his audience. He expresses his thoughts through his pen and organize them to be perceived in many different angles by his audience.
Writing is a great part of my life; my pen is always with me during the good times and bad times. We are always together, side by side, under one common goal: to reach the hearts of the audience.
My pieces are written in English, Tagalog, and Iluco. These are the tongues that I speak. Someday, I hope for my dreams to come to reality. I know I can strive for the best in me and the best for the audience.
E komo mai.
Alay Ko Sa Iyo
ni J.Q. Gonzales
Mga ito’y alay ko sa ‘yo
tanda ng walang humpay na pagmamahal
na idinulot ng kagandahang aking namulatan
sapol pa nang nakita ko ang isang dilag
na naging sanhi ng di maintindihang damdamin.
Ang damdaming naramdaman
ay katugma pala ng pag-ibig.
Kahit nasaan ka,
malayo man o malapit,
ay nagugunita ang mga alaalang
nag-aalab ng kasiyahan at katapatan.
Hindi kita malilimutan
Letter to Rosalyn Hart
A new acquaintance at AOL.
September 17, 1991
Dear Rosalyn:
I’m very glad to hear from you and receive your letter. Well, I’m fine here on this little island in the Pacific. I was born here in Maui, but I settled in a country in Asia . I came back to Maui in ’88 and I enjoyed life here ’til today. Maui is full of exotic places, and flora and fauna, but they’re slowly being endangered from feral animals and human activity.
The view of the rising sun is a tourist attraction on top of the largest dormant volcano, Mt. Haleakala (House of the Sun). There’s a legend behind this. Also, if you haven’t seen the humpback whales, you’ll be amazed form their songs and appearance from the warm waters of the Pacific. The whales migrate from the polar regions during the winter to Hawaii and goes back to the polar regions in the summer. The road to Hana is a breathtaking experience. You’ll see the Seven Sacred Falls and enjoy swimming. Off the coast of South Mauiis Molokini, an extinct volcano where lots of tropical fishes can be found. The fishes are friendly and enjoy a snack of chips. Anyway, I hope you’ll be here and enjoy island lifestyle. I am looking forwrd to meet you next summer, right? Don’t worry, I’ll not lose you because you’ll be a special asset to me – a friend.
Yes, America Online is expensive. I enjoy loggin on to bulletin board systems locally and database networks such as Compuserve and AOL. I’ll just have a time off at AOL for a while due to stacking usage charges. Like you, I enjoy writing letters and with the scribble of my pen, I can express myself where it opens my personalitty to the world and learn more about myself.
The County of Maui is grouped into three main islands, Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. I live in the island of Maui which you can say the main island because it is the center of government and commerce. Kahului is what I call the capital of Maui. United and Delta Airlines have routes to Kahului, Maui. Just ask your travel agent.
Regarding time in Hawaii compared to New Jersey, I’m not sure but I can tell you about times in L.A. compared to Honolulu. When it’s 10 p.m. in L.A., it’s 8 p.m. in Honolulu, a difference of two hours.
If you want tocall, call in the evenings around 10 p.m. (Hawaii Standard Time). If that’s late for you, call anytime in the evenings or on weekends. Bueno (well), it’a now the time for me to park my pen. I’ll c’ya later…and I’ll be looking forward on receiving your response.
Sincerely,
J.Q. Gonzales