Day 7: YOU MAY HAVE ALREADY WON

You have received a believable-looking, business-sized white envelope in th mail. The return address is from a company called Peerless. Printed on the envelope, in bright red letters, are the words "You May Have Already Won." Tell the story of what it is you may have won - or what is is you didn't win. Tell what you do with this envelope.

Start with "Life takes some funny twists and turns...

...just this morning, I was so depressed over the news that we didn't get the project that would have assured me a job for the next five years. My chest was beginning to tighten, and I almost didn't mind the persistent ringing of the doorbell. It was the courier of DHL. When I finally came to, as it were, I got up to get the door. I needed to sign something. It looked like the typical envelope from Reader's Digest with the big red letters screaming "you may have won". This time though, it was different. Envelopes like these are popped into the mailbox. I had to sign for it and had to show some identification. Unusual requirement for junk mail. But then, I thought, it's just another marketing ploy. By asking for IDs, the recipient will pay attention to the envelope being delivered. After much hesitation (and as much cynicism), I opened the envelope, purely out of curiosity. For such an important notice, the body of the letter itself was too long, it could easily be mistaken as trash. That was a big mistake the marketing people made.

So after reading the letter twice over, I realized, I had won a really big prize; and I couldn't even recall at once what contest it was I joined. I won a 2-year scholarship at a European University. Guess for what course: a master's degree in Accountancy! Of all things...

THOSE WERE THE DAYS (day 6)

Finish the story. Start with: "Back in 1938, before ....

...the war that so traumatized my mother, life was probably simpler. Radios were probably already invented, but I read somewhere that they weren't in fashion until the '40s. Okay, they say the frisbee wasn't invented until after 1938, but that would not get the attention of a Filipino like me. Let the Americans react to that piece of trivia. But penicillin, that's something with universal appeal. I grew up at a time that we still called it penicillin. Nowadays we know them better as antibiotics. I guess nobody uses penicillin as a term anymore. Oh, but was I impressed then. When I got a nasty wound with pus, usually from insect bites, the wonder drug penicillin was the answer. My mom would pound a tablet, still unopened in its aluminium wrapper, and sprinkle the now powdered medicine directly onto the watery wound. In a couple of days, the wound would dry to a nice scab (that's so temptingly good to scratch out). So I couldn't imagine what kind of miracle drug they used before 1938 for scrapes and gashes kids get by just being kids.

Ship Shape

Write until you fill in the entire shape. There are no lines, allowing you to be creative and free. Start with: "The ship's sail...

I'll skip this exercise. I don't see how writing within the borders of a ship's outline will improve my creativity.

Terrible Twos

You are two years old. Write from this perspective. Be childlike! Play!

Give yourself a name (with the initials C.A.T.): Cuba Aleman Chin
Nickname: Gerlatchi (German Latino Chinese)
Eye Color: Grey
Hair Color: Light brown
Favorite Food: boiled eggs
Siblings names/ages: Sydney 8, Victoria, 20
How they treat you: like a baby
Thoughts on toilet training: What's that?

Start with: Here I am stuck in my crib... why am writing? I haven't even learned to say "mama". This is crazy.