This is not a continuation of the Steemit-exclusive, original novel A Day in the Clouds.
But, if you have time for a story, then I invite you to read along.
Full disclosure: This is a scheduled post, so apologies for the delayed response to comments. I hope that this doesn't discourage you from commenting. I'll reply as soon as I'm physically able. As you're reading this, I'm either going to or already am in South Korea with my fiancée and family.
We pick up years after that fateful day, when the events were all but a distant memory. It seems so long ago, but I had only posted the story on the STEEM blockchain earlier this year. Moments like these make me realize how long a year could be. At the end, it feels like the year just went past. But, when we're in the thick of it, days feel like they stretch for months. Funny how time works.
I was inspired to write this because of a recent visit to my relatives in the province. It was 
Upon our arrival, we were greeted by my cousin, her husband and the their young daughter (all three not included in the story), and my other niece Ace (Ayesa), who has now grown into a young lady. She used to boisterous and quite the chatterbox, but now she's more subdued and almost a bit brooding. Then out came my grandmother, who was still strong for her age.
We ate lunch and awaited the others' arrival for our little Christmas get-together. Sometimes these little shindigs would involve singing and a bountiful feast, while other times it was more subdued and intimate. This year was the latter, which was perfectly alright. What matters is that we get to enjoy each other's company.
After we finished 
What amazed me the most was when I saw his directorial skills in full display. He really was bent on directing everything. I've seen it before in movies and TV, where people who have autism manipulates things the way they want, but this was the first time I saw it in person. It was really entertaining to see.
First, he was focused on directing my sister to the phone, so that she could act like she was talking to someone. Kuya Erwin (Dadier) said that it was a scene directly lifted from a commercial on TV. My sister went along with it and everyone had a good laugh about it. Zepp repeated it quite a number of times during different intervals.
When Ate Thiella (Mamie) came in with Vedder (Eddie) in tow, she brought with her a laptop to help distract Zepp. Little did we know, that it would enable him even further. A video was loaded where there was someone playing piano, and she chose
When I got in his way earlier, he pushed me quite forcefully to prevent me from blocking his path. Let's just say my gonads suffered quite a bit. Quite. A. Bit. So I know that he was way more stronger than I imagined. Took the air out of me. Yes, the viento was strong with this one.
Zepp directed Li exactly how the video looked. Beat by beat, he matched the actions on the video with the real-life position. It felt like he was playing with a toy, and because of Li's stature, it wasn't the first time she was referred to that way. Perhaps it's why he chose Li instead of my heftier sister, because Li was easier to manipulate.
According to Li though, he wasn't that forceful. He was a bit obsessive-compulsive when it came to getting all the details right, but his pulls didn't hurt at all. I told her to tell that to our future children.
The play went on for quite some time, far longer than with my sister. Zepp kept repeating and repeating the video, trying to get everything right. Eventually, Ate Thiella put an end to it since everyone was getting a bit exhausted, and Zepp was on a brink of a tantrum.
So, what was the point of all this?
I have a confession to make. It's something I didn't publicly say because I didn't want to jinx my chances at the time, and after, I felt quite ashamed of the outcome. There's no easy way to say this so I'll just come out with it. I entered A Day in the Clouds in a contest.
Whew! That feels much better now that it's etched on the blockchain. Not just any contest, a national writing contest. Specifically, the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, the National Writing Contest of the Philippines. The novel division is only available every other year, and the prize purse was the same as that of 100,000,000 Satoshi!!!! :O OMG!! SO MUCH!!
For those of you not in the know, 100 million Satoshi is equivalent to 1 BTC, and at the time, 1 BTC was only at the already exorbitant ceiling of $1000. It wasn't about the prize though, after all, the proceeds would all go to Zepp and I wouldn't see a dime from it. The thing is, I'm really picky with regard to the contests I join. I don't know why it is, but I've always been that way. The reason why I have such a stellar record is because I don't normally join contests that I know I don't have a chance of winning.
I really worked hard when I wrote this. 
You see, I participated in this contest once before (well, twice because I made two submissions during my first time), three years ago, and lost for the short story and poetry division, so it took some time before I mustered enough courage to join again. I'm sorry to break the illusion that I'm not the picture of confidence that you thought I was.
At the start of the year, I competed in small contests and won, including a papa-pepper contest that became the eventual spark that ignited my epic friendship with 
Every year I set names for the coming year like The Year of Domination, The Year of Redemption. It just so happens that 2017 was supposed to be The Year of Conquest. Even before the start of the year,
I came out of the gate swinging. Every contest I joined, I won. But, I know that they were all just preparations for the big ones. Winning the startup competition would mean that we would get funding for our company, and that we would be self-sufficient from day one, while winning the National Writing Contest would mean that I would have a silver bullet when it comes to contacting publishers for my other novels. Everything was set, and there was no stopping us.
We made it to the Top 25, and the only one final pitch stood between us and the grand prize. Everything felt like it was on the line, but we were riding an unprecedented streak. You can't blame us for feeling invincible. Our confidence was at an all-time high and we were on fire.
Sadly, we lost. Then I lost another contest, then another, and another. It kept going, but I tried to stay strong. After all, the National Writing Competition was still up for grabs. And, I wasn't about to lose hope when it mattered. My winning streak was replaced by a losing one, but that didn't mean I couldn't stop the bleeding.
Not just a random selfie. This is me after I submitted my entry at the CPMA offices.
Months passed and I eagerly awaited the results. On the first of September,
No matter how much I held out hope, once again, I failed. Suffice to say, I was devastated. I really took it hard. The losses compounded and I couldn't stop the losing streak. At the time, the earnings for A Day in the Clouds declined and the votes dropped off. The silver lining was that loyal followers who had become real-life friends continued to encourage me through the comments section. But, the damage was done, and the writer's block that has loomed over me to this day dawned its ugly head.
By the end of the 6-month posting, the earnings equalled about 0.5 BTC so it wasn't all bad. I mean, other posts made that much with only a couple of chapters, but who was I to complain. Everything was a gift. So, I sent everything to
No one could've imagined the height that BTC reached, so we can't fault Zepp's parents for withdrawing early. It still fetched a respectable 80k PHP, but yeah, if it was HODLd as BTC, it would've amounted to 424k PHP at the height of Bitcoin's bull run or if it was HODLd as SBD, it would've amounted to 700k PHP at the height of the SBD pump. But yeah, hindsight is 20/20 and there are no mistakes in trading cryptocurrencies, only experiences. Anyway, I digress.
When I saw Zepp directing people over and over, this little kid who has autism and was going about his life one inchstone at a time, I asked myself, "who was I to complain?" I have a roof over my head, I'm eating at least three square meals a day and I am relatively healthy. Who was I to bitch about losing a couple of contests? I had the ability to feed myself, bathe myself and live a normal life. Not everyone has that luxury. It really put things in perspective.
If Zepp had the grit to direct people over and over again, not even minding how many times he fails at getting the perfect shot, then I certainly had the ability to take all the losses. It's hard to go against something that's almost second nature, but isn't everything worth it difficult to achieve? Why am I complaining about how many times I fall when there are people who hasn't even had the chance to get up?
When I created Ledd, he was 50% Zepp and 50% me. I guess Ledd's grit was all Zepp, but that doesn't mean that I could learn a thing or two from them. So, I'm heading into 2018 with a renewed sense of purpose. I'm going to fail more times than ever before, but that's because I'm going to join everything without even thinking about the outcome. I'm going to go tubthumping.
Mark it down, 2018 is going to be The Year of Resilience! So, bring it on!
2018, are you a female dog in desperate need of adoption?
Because, I'm going to make you my bitch.
Let's keep 
as a Top 10 STEEM witness! Do your part by casting a vote :D
If you enjoyed this, please be sure to follow