I must confess that it’s been a long time since i last written a creative piece of work, especially a short story. I have been giving myself a lot of excuses for not holding that pen and pour all my thoughts into words. I used to have a strong habit of recording my daily activities and events i encountered in my so-called "The Book of Time" since i was 13. Once a month, i would pick an event to be "turned" into a short story or even a poem. But i stopped doing that 3 years ago. My studies at UNIMAS, research projects to attend to, constant laziness are just some of the many excuses i gave myself from scribbling on that book.

And last night, out of boredom, i flipped through that book, which was actually placed underneath of other thick books like Introduction to Research Methods and Learning Theories. For hours, I read every single story in that book and realised how I have changed. The way i think, the way i look at other people or things, and most importantly the way i use my language. Getting some inspirations from Robert Raymer, i told myself: "Hey, there are many stories to be told from all those piles of papers!" I know some of you might think i’m just another novice writer having that instant europhia of thinking his or her stories are going to be published and be loved by all. No,  you’re not even close. I know my limitations, I know my weaknesses. All i want to do now, is to get back that creative touch and start writing again. And for the first time, i’m setting myself some goals for creative writing. Sending stories to competition is a good start. It’s going to be a difficult start but i know it’s not impossible.

Wish me luck and yeah, i’m trying hard to keep to that principle of "write for yourself first". My Book of Time will go into its second "episode" on 1st January 2009 and it will be named "The Book of Time II" to mark the second phase of my life and my writing interest.