Friday, May 30, 2014

when i was younger, i did this 
I
V

up to now, i write on our walls, i color on drawing tables and cabinets...

and i never imagined i'd really be able to draw and paint on larger walls.. 
---walls outside our home...
credits to Liberty who made the collage

and so i'm very grateful to Habitat Philippines' call for volunteers for the mural painting
because, even though my painting experience is negligible, i was able to take part in this momentous event!

that is why, seeing lots and lots of volunteers painting the walls of Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr. Elementary School, i was filled with more joy and much more desire to participate in the activity..          ......witnessing these miracles, i had only one thing in mind - anything is possible with God, but human beings' cooperation is badly needed. It is possible to unite different kinds of people. Knowing that the intention was good, people, especially the youth were very willing to volunteer (not to mention that the activity was also very fun!). On the day of the activity, lots were willing to work postponing their lunch; lots were also willing to work overtime. In fact, i met some who took a day off from their jobs just to volunteer on a Monday. 
Stating all these, we could definitely say, the youth is willing to work, leaders, ma-pressure naman kayo!!!

i'm saying the statement before this in a disappointed manner. lots of people are at the mercy of the decisions of politicians and other government officials. Yet lots of these official seem not to care at all. It seems to be that the people who benefit from their being in office are themselves and their families and businessmen. People need leaders who are sincere and are doing everything in their power to serve the people - leaders who know love and sacrifice.

So i'm raising my voice to you, leaders, fight against corruption, go for integrity!!! 

God bless you, Philippines and the world!
Let's continue to pray for all children..
let us do our best to REACH-OUT to them.

"may all children who feel powerless, afraid or voiceless find the certainty that they too can survive and flourish. "
courtesy of Unicef

Paper Bags - real na real!

Courtesy of Quenie.. :)
this was the product of our college subject requirement (our feasibility study): paper bags made from recycled papers

at first, before groups to perform studies were formed, i conceptualized forming coupon bonds made from recycled papers. Our teacher once compared Philippines' low-quality bond papers made of recycled papers versus that from the US (high quality). i was kind of challenged to find the perfect ingredients to produce high quality, above than average bond papers from recycled papers. So after the groups were formed, that was one of the products i suggested to them. Well, there were twists and turns in the events that followed. But the Lord had really been generous (as He always is) to give us this study, even if it was not exactly the one i conceptualized. More than that, we were really able to finish our study on time and so... we were able to produce REAL(!!!) paper bags!! i an so glad that in some ways, we were able to contribute to the preservation of God's marvelous creations!

Hope we'll do better even more!! Aja!! :D

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Reminder:
to all consumers, be cautious in patronizing products being advertised and promoted on TV & online..
because
Human desires are like the world of the dead - there is always room for more. (Proverbs 27:20)
and
All that is not eternal is eternally useless. (CS Lewis)

Let's spend our time and effort on things which are truly valuable.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

am i going to die?

am i going to die?
this was, perhaps, the best summer i've ever had in my life
there are so many blessings and surprises it's as if my life ends in a while...

first of all, i graduated in college, finally..
credits to AdDU Samahan creative Team
but my knowledge of things are nothing if i will not use it for the benefit of the people
(so help me, God)

after which, i had the privilege to attend the CYA Mindanao Conference last April 2-6.
Each participant had to come up with Php 5000, but amazingly, in the end, we'd only have to pay Php 1500!!
and it was all worth it (i had my MinCon reflection in one of my posts)
credits to CYA Iligan for designing this banner

credits to the MinCon photographers


after which, i was able to be part of a research team with my beloved classmate, Claudine, and led by Dr. Tender :)


and although i have no experience, i am part of the team of the CYA newsletter staff. i got a chance to edit the layout of each page, review articles and give written contributions. and the work is still ongoing
credits to kuya Irvin for taking the photos and joining them in a collage

i was also able to participate in the Mural Painting Activity led by the Habitat for Humanity Davao.
It was my first time ever to paint walls in the downtown area.. and although i only have a small contribution in the big masterpiece, i felt like a real artist.. acheche! ;)

There also was another activity i was supposed to attend. i was not able to attend it but at least i knew that it exists.There was a free movie watching session at the Cinema 6 of Victoria Plaza Mall in Davao. The film is Nefarious: Merchant of Souls. It is a documentary film about human trafficking.
and so i vow to watch this film before the week ends! ;) pray for me


but then again, there is still much to do.. i hope we could help lessen the burden of people who are working for the common good. let's help! 
(i am aware that this is not the most stirring encouragement you might have heard.. but i reallly hope we could make this world better than it is today..God bless you!)

Saturday, May 17, 2014

we're part of the ocean..


indeed, in Mitch's words, how wonderful it is to have a teacher, "one who saw you as a raw but precious thing, a jewel that, with wisdom, could be polished to a proud shine..." 

i finished reading Tuesdays with Morrie with tears in my eyes. So much insight and inspiration from a man who has so much passion for life. It is a story of a relationship between an old and a young man whose thesis made such great impact throughout the world. As much as we must not waste time to realize our purpose in life and to become fully alive, we also must not wait longer to get a hold of this wonderful book.

God bless you! 

photo from Mitch Albom's website

"If you've found meaning in your life you don't want to go back. You want to move forward."
Thanks, Morrie & Mitch! ;)

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

We are all fools for something. the question is, whose fool are you?

All of us had our lives set by birth - to be born poor or born rich. How we are when death knocks on our door is up to us.

Lots of people have been ruled by this thinking. But i believe being successful is not the main purpose of life.

The realization of one's talents is one of the gateways to self-actualization, and sometimes to building one's self esteem. Some find out that they are intellectually-gifted and so they become inclined to research work, studying for masters and doctorate degrees, attracting lots of companies to hire them, the list goes on... Some find they are physically gifted and they immerse themselves in sports; some become well-known athletes, some eventually become endorsers. Some realize their talent in managing businesses and finances, and they become bosses of their businesses. Later on, they start hiring people, they become employers. And at a certain point of view, we realize that this is a cycle. Whether there are newcomers in the flow or none, there are always people to continue the cycle. The lowest classes strive to live day by day, working under the leadership of people whose position is higher than theirs. People leading the lowest classes also work under the leading of those whose positions are higher than theirs. The pattern goes on until we reach the highest position in the company. In this viewpoint, we can identify a triangular hierarchy - the richest (very few people) are on top and the poorest (abounding in head count) are at the bottom.

Focusing on business industries, as i've mentioned, people work for those above them in rank. The cycle continues because it is made to appear that the masses are the "bosses". Of course, the masses have no choice in this matter because they can't help needing something. Businesses attend to the demands of the public - which obviously are keys to the survival and bloom of their business ventures. (In the first place, why do we patronize businesses around us? Fastfood chains, for instance, don't give a care about our health! They remind us only of the needs of our taste buds but never of our health.) However, this arrangement has always been in favor of those at the top of the hierarchy, then it trickles to the bottom. The middle class, even though they are second only to the richest, seem not to mind at all. In fact, they seem to be at ease working for their bosses. IN realtion to this, i've observed when middle classes buy from the dirty market and from sidewalk vendors, they keep haggling over prices. Not much do they realize that these types of vendors earn much less than those bosses of companies whose products are found on supermarkets and which couldn't be haggled at all. Nevertheless, they keep working for their bosses, earning for their needs and wants. In the process of working, they begin to dream of a wonderful family, pleasing trips and refreshing vacations. Some, upon promotion, still seek for higher positions, forgetting where they've been before, and never realizing that they'd practically never be able to replace their bosses' positions. People in lower classes need to exert much more effort to belong to the middle class. They need to risk, find opportunities and most of the time, forget being alive at the moment in the hope of finding life in the future. Somehow, it's just sad to know that some people who rise up from horrible lives never look back. Worse than that, they build walls, making it harder for those who are left behind to improve their lives. For example, in Mindanao, there is power shortage yet people who can afford to buy gadgets buy lots of them. And to make gadgets work, electricity is needed. Now, during power shortages in Mindanao, we need additional energy sources to meet the power demands of the people. To do this, power companies must not only rely on the usual energy sources, but should start burning fuel (usually diesel) which makes electric bills at the end of the month much more expensive in spite of black outs. The middle class will not suffer, they can afford to pay for "a little" additional electricity bill increase. Who will suffer?  - those who have very tight budgets, those whose earnings are good only for a day, those who are under the poverty line. And who's to blame? The lower classes? No! We should blame those large users of electricity who could not look past their social media life and realize their responsibilities to the less fortunate members of the society.

Sometimes i ask myself if it is still all right to dream. Lots of people have been born poor, have lived poor, died sadder and poorer. Maywut, 16, from Sudan remarked, "My dream? i can't dream of what i want in the future when there is still too much of a problem, and until the situation is better i can't dream." And so i am always reminded of what Will Salas pointed out, "No one should be immortal, if even one person has to die." So if i dare dream, i must dream not for myself, but for those who need it most. It's what Jesus did! Instead of dreaming to be rich, a hunk or a scientist, He chose to be in the company of fishermen, tax collectors, sinners, and taught them. In the process, He lost His life for others to find their life in Him. Isn't it cool and sweet?


P.S. i hope we'd come to our senses, to the one who has been given a lot, a lot is also required from him.


Tuesday, May 13, 2014

As a child, my sister had the opportunity to go to Manila. But i'm very glad she never got there.

When i was about 8 years old, my sister was 6, and our younger brother was 2. We were close playmates and i was more than happy to know that soon we'd be going to school together in the same academy. However, one dreadful news cut into our happy moments.

My sister, was thin, jolly, but quite fragile. She was a dancer. But she suddenly got sick. Many days passed but her fever never left her. We soon found out that she had some kind of heart sickness (whatever that was called). Eventually, the doctors advised my parents to travel to Manila to avail to a more advanced heart operation for my sister.

My father's parents, however, had a much more agreeable solution for my sister - faith! They know of a person who through God's gift was able to heal people of their sicknesses and health problems. Ultimately, my sister, after attending to healing sessions of the healer, was able to regain her strength and vitality. We were taught how to pray and we faithfully prayed the rosary every night. Later on, to be sure of her being well, tests and scans had been done on her heart, but they all showed negative results. It's as if a new heart had been replaced to the rejected one. And i know only one who could give the replacement - Jesus! ;)

Now, she's turning 20, very much alive, artistic and still a dancer! ;)

Action Group perfect attendance~

my lovely sisters ;)


i've been so blessed ;)
i just did not expect to come home crying

Sunday, May 4, 2014