Who is Jofer Serapio?

This is just my stupid About Me which I'm using on my Friendster, Multiply, Writerscafe, and my personal website.

I’m a writer. I started writing back when I was 6. My first output was a short story in Tagalog, the Filipino language, which I think I lost at my aunt’s house years ago. It was about a guy who struggled living a life not his own, but because he couldn’t handle all the lies that was accumulating, and more because of the fact that his own dream was distracting him, he returned to where he came from and started going back in his past only to find out that everything he ever wanted or needed was just right in front of him. My grammar and spelling was pretty crappy back then.

My greatest influence with the art was probably my late aunt who took the time teaching me the basics and how to love writing. She was an English professor who loved books and even tried venturing into writing them at a point in her life. She died young. She was forty-something when she passed away and since then, I realized writing wasn’t just a passion for me, it was my life.

At first, I took Nursing as an undergraduate course but because I didn’t really have the heart for it, I quit and decided to start being a real writer. I went back home, enrolled myself in a local college, and started living with pens and papers. A close friend of mine coined it as “epiphany” while others frowned at my decision because they thought I was wasting my time with this impoverished folly. I just laughed at them because they showed me that they really didn’t know anything about me.

I love adventures and emotions. That’s why I chose the noble profession over making money in minutes. I’m quite inquisitive, as what my professor at 2nd year Logic called me. I have a thirst for figuring things on my own. That was what I stood for. Yet it was both depressing and funny to realize that most of those whom I called “friends” didn’t really understand that.

But I believe it was more my fault since I didn’t really take the time to let them know me. But the real question is, can anyone ever know who I really am? I actually don’t know who or what I am. I can be an emo at a time then after a few short seconds, I’d transform into a prankster. I guess I really am a wildcard.

I’m also a gamer. I love games and most of the times; I’d play them until I pass out. It’s not really addiction; it’s more of being spirited for me. I am a competitive person and gaming is the one thing that lets me unleash my bottled up emotions without the unnecessary blood most people get for knocking others off their feet.

I love RPGs or Role Playing Games specifically because they are just like books. They have storylines, some more than others, which are of course interactive. They let you become a character in their story and some even makes you choose how the whole saga ends. I drone over RPGs a lot.

Reviewing games is also fun for me. It let’s me take on this other side of my persona that is more quirky and funny than my public face. I’d exaggerate with writing articles for this genre but not so much that my words would turn to lies. I give credits where credits are due and most often than not, my outputs would actually look similar to professional ones in terms of grading the games in specific fields.

I have Game Maker and Platform Studio on my laptop. I’m trying to make games now but so far, I’ve only been able to make a sort of Pacman game and a simple arcade game that only requires clicking and nothing more. Hopefully, my skills in that field will grow.

I love making graphics like signatures, avatars and wallpapers. I make icons too, and sometimes sprites, but only occasionally. I’m not that good of an artist yet, both in the real world and in the net world, but I hope to be a good one soon.

People have often coined me as a rocker, although I’m not really sure if that is the right terminology for my musical inclinations. I do love the genre of rock but that’s not all the music I play. I also listen to pop, reggae, rnb and classical among other things. I also listen to emo music since it has this appealing ability to relate to a thousand emotions at once, catapulting my current one to another which is perfect for writing about my characters that have been through a lot more than what I’ve been in. I do listen to more rock than any other music though which probably proves that I have a little bit of a rocker soul in me.

I play a bit of the guitar, as well as bass. I once tried making a song and the lyrics came out good but the rhythm of my strumming and plucking were way off so I decided to just stop right there. I started with a band, actually, but not a real band. It was a lyre and drum corps. The kind of band you’d see in parades.

Movies are my favourite past time. I make them and I also watch them. I’ve made short AMVs (Anime Music Videos) as well as Family Movies, Trailers, Credits and even the occasional Flash Movies.

I have been a patron and now a collector of Gamesmaster Philippines. I’m still trying to collect the other pieces of this puzzle. My collection is far from being complete.

Card games are also a fun hobby for me. I collect them and sometimes, I play them with my young cousins. Yugi-oh and Pokemon TCGs (Trading Card Games) are what I have most.

I also collect Zoids models as well as any dragon model. I’ve been fascinated with the creating or modifying your own creature system since I was 3. Back then, I had lots and lots of LEGO.

I can say that I’m a bit vain. That is true only for some times. I love looking at the mirror, posing with the same polo shirts over and over again, putting on different berets, and making faces. In public, I sometimes find myself dressing up too much just for a regular errand. I have wear jeans and only jeans when I go out.

I’m still a kid but sometimes, I don’t think that way. There’s a sort of mixed feelings when people realize that about me. Most would find it interesting and would gladly be associating themselves with me without my knowledge. Others would stray far from me which of course makes me laugh most of the times.

I was a hopeless romantic. I say “was” because I have been trying to redirect that passion into my writing and so far, it has worked. The funny thing was falling for every pretty damsel I lay my eyes on. It was funny since I’d fall for them even before I would come to know them as who they really are. Some were fun and smart while others were creepy and strange.

I have never had a lasting relationship probably because of my fear of commitment. I did have my share of girlfriends but we didn’t last long. The only long relationship I had wasn’t even a real relationship. It was based on how we made each other feel even though we were far from each other. That same girl now condemns me for choosing to write, or in her words, “hiding from veracity as strength”. I have come to terms with my decision to never get married. I am already married to my writing. That’s a lot to say.

“You born today have a fine mind (sometimes genius level). You have sophisticated taste and feel most fulfilled when using your creative talents. You’re original. You have your own way of looking at life and your own way of doing things (others often misunderstand you). –Francis Drake, Philippine Daily Inquirer”

I was born on February 2, 1990 in Caloocan, Manila but I grew up as an Aklanon in Kalibo, Aklan. My childhood was nothing special. I lived as a normal kid in a normal family in a normal town and such. The paragraph that preceded this one was an SMS sent to me by an ex-girlfriend of mine on my birthday. It was weird but fun.

As of this time, I really have no plans regarding my life. I only have a pen, a paper, and thousands of ideas with which I plan on facing life head first. If I do fail and become a bum, at least I’d have one hell of a story to tell all those angels at heaven.

A life well lived isn’t measured by how much money you make. It’s measured by how much stories you can recall.

“Write to Express, Not to Impress”

Reviews

[Dominique]

is it my fault i came across you again? ofcourse..evry action you make in life is your choice...glad i have a contribution in one of your writings...(waah)