FROM STRANGERS TO FRIENDS

UNEDITED SAMPLE LITERARY ARTICLE
By Julia Nina Somera Moncada
IV - Madame Marie Curie


“Strangers are just friends you haven’t met.”

Back then, I never really believed that saying. What was the point of having friends when you don’t know who they are? What was the point of getting to know others when you don’t know if what they’re saying about themselves was true? That is why I spent my life playing games, watching TV shows, and reading comic books. My life revolved around those things.

I was amazed that people could create such amazing but underappreciated works of art. I idolized persons such as Rex Espino, Dexter Roxas, Marvin Laudinez, Clarice “Sao” Menguito, Jack Roño, and other comic book artists. Because of them, I started drawing and writing stories. Even though I never really had any talent in drawing or writing, I practiced everyday. All my spare time was spent on improving my skills. By the time I reached high school, I have managed to create decent artworks and stories.

I was also introduced to the Internet. In the beginning, I never gave out any information about myself. It was either I ignored them or gave false information. Like in the real world, I didn’t make a lot of internet buddies. The few ones I did make didn’t know anything about me. One day, one of them showed me a drawing they did. I also showed him some of mine. Everyday, we shared our artworks and critiqued each other. Whenever I see his works, I always have a feeling that I have seen them before. When I was going through my comic book collection, something caught my attention. Then, I knew why his works were so familiar. His works were very similar to one of my idols. So, the next day, I asked him if he was that person. It was really a shock when he said yes. He asked why. I told him that I was a fan of his. I went on and on about how I really liked his works. He laughed and meekly said that it was nothing special.

In an anime convention, I saw a booth of a new comic book called “NeoComics.” I went to check their merchandise. My eyes widened when I saw his username written in the staff. I asked the people from the booth who he was. They pointed to a guy drawing something on a piece of paper. I talked to him an introduced myself. He was as surprised as I was. We talked for a really long time. It was like we had been the best of friends for years, but the truth was that we’ve only met for the first time on that day. He introduced me to his friends and coworkers. Unlike before, I became friends with them rather easily. Maybe it was because we had a lot of things in common.

After that convention, it became easier for me to make friends. I learned to find people that are similar to me. I realized that I do not have to make friends with everyone in the world. And I realized that the quote was right. A person whom I’ve never met became one of my best friends.