Monday, January 26, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Contact
So, here's how to track me down or contact me if you ever want to chat or whatever:
Email: samanthaparkington [at] gmail [dot] com
Tumblr: Writer Girl
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Portfolio
My works come after this intro - please read for background on why I write what I do!
I'm an English writer/High School junior born, bred and growing up in the Philippines - I was born half-Chinese, half-Filipino into a Protestant family and practice Chinese traditions handed down from generation to generation. I respect every race, religion, opinion, creation and person because I believe that I'm in no position to tell anyone what to do with their life and what is right or wrong - we all have our own views on that.
Writing is something I can do and not be judged physically - I can choose to show you only my writing. I'm a teenager - I'm insecure about a lot of things. Writing saved me from near social suicide and continues to keep me alive and sane amidst all the stress I go through everyday - it's like the weight of the world is lifted off my shoulders when I write.
As a writer I've tried numerous styles - fiction, journalism, poetry and tons of others but over time I've come to discover what I really want to do for the rest of my life.
I was born into one of the most musical families in the country - my grandmother was a renowned conductor and music professor in the country's best university, my aunt a music historian and my father one of the country's most sought-after record producers and drummers. Music is in my blood - there's no way out.
But I wouldn't want a way out.
I want to write about music. I want to write meaningful things about music and have my thoughts read by thousands of millions of people because it's what I love. Music moves me in ways I can't explain and writing helps me explain why it does.
My ultimate dream is to be a writer who can make or break an artists' career. I want my reviews to be so powerful and influential that even one bad word about a song or album can destroy an entire career. It's convoluted and will take decades but I don't care - it's what I love to do and it's what I really want it life, I will follow it to the grave.
After a ton of battles with my writing-related insecurities caused by myself I now realize that yes, I may be a kid and I may not have the maturity of real music journalists over a decade older than me but as long as I always write exactly what's on my mind, I can grow and mature as a writer.
I'm an English writer/High School junior born, bred and growing up in the Philippines - I was born half-Chinese, half-Filipino into a Protestant family and practice Chinese traditions handed down from generation to generation. I respect every race, religion, opinion, creation and person because I believe that I'm in no position to tell anyone what to do with their life and what is right or wrong - we all have our own views on that.
Writing is something I can do and not be judged physically - I can choose to show you only my writing. I'm a teenager - I'm insecure about a lot of things. Writing saved me from near social suicide and continues to keep me alive and sane amidst all the stress I go through everyday - it's like the weight of the world is lifted off my shoulders when I write.
As a writer I've tried numerous styles - fiction, journalism, poetry and tons of others but over time I've come to discover what I really want to do for the rest of my life.
I was born into one of the most musical families in the country - my grandmother was a renowned conductor and music professor in the country's best university, my aunt a music historian and my father one of the country's most sought-after record producers and drummers. Music is in my blood - there's no way out.
But I wouldn't want a way out.
I want to write about music. I want to write meaningful things about music and have my thoughts read by thousands of millions of people because it's what I love. Music moves me in ways I can't explain and writing helps me explain why it does.
My ultimate dream is to be a writer who can make or break an artists' career. I want my reviews to be so powerful and influential that even one bad word about a song or album can destroy an entire career. It's convoluted and will take decades but I don't care - it's what I love to do and it's what I really want it life, I will follow it to the grave.
After a ton of battles with my writing-related insecurities caused by myself I now realize that yes, I may be a kid and I may not have the maturity of real music journalists over a decade older than me but as long as I always write exactly what's on my mind, I can grow and mature as a writer.
Recently my main blog Pop Reviews Now became a finalist for the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards where I beat out hundreds of other candidates to be named one of the 11 Best Entertainment blogs in the country. It was an honor just to be nominated but to become a finalist? It was the biggest thing that had ever happened to me. I may not have won that trophy or the title but being one of the eleven best blogs in the country over hundreds, even thousands of other blogs makes me feel like I'm not putting all this work to waste. It made me feel like I was a blogger with worth - that my writing wasn't crap. I was the only kid there that night - I may have felt small and didn't know anyone there but just being able to see my blog's name flashed on that screen made waiting 3 hours standing outside the theatre worth it.
Below is my slowly-growing portfolio taken from my other blogs(see: navigation on top) or specially written for portfolio purposes. This body of works as of this moment, best describes me as a writer.
Below is my slowly-growing portfolio taken from my other blogs(see: navigation on top) or specially written for portfolio purposes. This body of works as of this moment, best describes me as a writer.
Articles + Interviews:
Thursday, January 15, 2009
My Roots
A lighter scribble today, I wanna start writing a story! haha.
A few days back, my parents were talking in the car about how if my mom had married a Chinese, she wouldn't have wanted to 'watch the store' all day, because of her childhood. It made me think of my roots, where my parents came from and how I ended up growing up the way I did.
My dad's Filipino, his dad grew up in a province in the south and he came here to the city to become a doctor. I have no idea how my grandmother and my granddad met, but I do know that my dad had a comfortable life, 'lolo', (the term for grandfather), was an orthopedic surgeon and 'lola'(grandmother) was a choral director/professor/dean.
My mom, from her stories, lived a little more than comfortably. She comes from a very Chinese family, her mother's family owned(and still do..) a huge business, something to do with upholstery I think and her dad's family own(still do as well..) and are into leather and stuff like that, her dad had his own store. My grandparents' marriage was arranged, like how most Chinese marriages were at the time, to ensure that the family business is properly taken care of.
I never struggled with my cultural identity, because I think I was exposed to both cultures from the very start. I was born and raised here in the Philippines, but I live with a mix of Chinese and Filipino customs. I was taught Chinese as a kid, I can speak and read but I can't write whereas I was taught FIlipino to get into a school. I have two Filipino and two Chinese god parents, we frequently go to my Chinese and Filipino cousins' houses because I'm an only child and I celebrate both Chinese and Filipino holidays so as you can see, my parents balanced the two cultures quite well.
A few days back, my parents were talking in the car about how if my mom had married a Chinese, she wouldn't have wanted to 'watch the store' all day, because of her childhood. It made me think of my roots, where my parents came from and how I ended up growing up the way I did.
My dad's Filipino, his dad grew up in a province in the south and he came here to the city to become a doctor. I have no idea how my grandmother and my granddad met, but I do know that my dad had a comfortable life, 'lolo', (the term for grandfather), was an orthopedic surgeon and 'lola'(grandmother) was a choral director/professor/dean.
My mom, from her stories, lived a little more than comfortably. She comes from a very Chinese family, her mother's family owned(and still do..) a huge business, something to do with upholstery I think and her dad's family own(still do as well..) and are into leather and stuff like that, her dad had his own store. My grandparents' marriage was arranged, like how most Chinese marriages were at the time, to ensure that the family business is properly taken care of.
I never struggled with my cultural identity, because I think I was exposed to both cultures from the very start. I was born and raised here in the Philippines, but I live with a mix of Chinese and Filipino customs. I was taught Chinese as a kid, I can speak and read but I can't write whereas I was taught FIlipino to get into a school. I have two Filipino and two Chinese god parents, we frequently go to my Chinese and Filipino cousins' houses because I'm an only child and I celebrate both Chinese and Filipino holidays so as you can see, my parents balanced the two cultures quite well.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Why?
Why is one of the hardest questions to answer, but I guess I'll give it a shot. Why do I love writing? Why do I want to write?
I'm a young girl, I'm at a very awkward age where I'm beginning to discover who I am and what I want to do(I am just two years away from college if you put it into perspective..) but at this age, I know what my passion is.
Why do I know? Because I've been through a lot. I've seen my grades go from stellar to almost failing and I've been criticized, teased endlessly, used and treated like trash. I want people older than me right now and people older than I was at this age when I finally become a real writer to know that being a teenager isn't just all about boys and growing up and being insecure about yourself.
Sure, fine, I'm very insecure but the reason is past the fact that my body isn't skinny and it's not this and it's not that. Someone used me, made me believe she was a nice person and then just threw me on the ground when she was done using me. She made me isolate myself from my friends then, thinking they were on her side when they actually weren't and she made me miserable, made me blame myself for what she did.
The only thing that kept me sane during that period was writing. If it weren't for my journal, I wouldn't be sitting here and writing about how much I want to follow my dreams. Black would've turned into my favorite color and I would most probably stop smiling, stop listening to happy music and stop doing all the things I'm doing right now.
Writing helps me through the times when I feel I'm so alone, it helps me through problems I don't want other people to know about and I want to let people realize that life isn't what someone tells you it is, it's about learning what it is for yourself, experiencing things and coming to your own conclusion about what it actually is.
I want people to stop thinking of Gossip Girl when they say young girls and realize that girls like me have dreams, have passions and won't just give those away just because they say they're too young.
I sure won't.
So that's it. I've answered the question, it's time for me to get to bed, I've got to be up at five tomorrow morning!
I'm a young girl, I'm at a very awkward age where I'm beginning to discover who I am and what I want to do(I am just two years away from college if you put it into perspective..) but at this age, I know what my passion is.
Why do I know? Because I've been through a lot. I've seen my grades go from stellar to almost failing and I've been criticized, teased endlessly, used and treated like trash. I want people older than me right now and people older than I was at this age when I finally become a real writer to know that being a teenager isn't just all about boys and growing up and being insecure about yourself.
Sure, fine, I'm very insecure but the reason is past the fact that my body isn't skinny and it's not this and it's not that. Someone used me, made me believe she was a nice person and then just threw me on the ground when she was done using me. She made me isolate myself from my friends then, thinking they were on her side when they actually weren't and she made me miserable, made me blame myself for what she did.
The only thing that kept me sane during that period was writing. If it weren't for my journal, I wouldn't be sitting here and writing about how much I want to follow my dreams. Black would've turned into my favorite color and I would most probably stop smiling, stop listening to happy music and stop doing all the things I'm doing right now.
Writing helps me through the times when I feel I'm so alone, it helps me through problems I don't want other people to know about and I want to let people realize that life isn't what someone tells you it is, it's about learning what it is for yourself, experiencing things and coming to your own conclusion about what it actually is.
I want people to stop thinking of Gossip Girl when they say young girls and realize that girls like me have dreams, have passions and won't just give those away just because they say they're too young.
I sure won't.
So that's it. I've answered the question, it's time for me to get to bed, I've got to be up at five tomorrow morning!