Inspired and renewed

Last weekend, our dearest Pope Francis humbled the Philippines with his presence. Even if I just saw him for a few seconds, I am very happy that he went to our country and bring hope to our countrymen. I think his visit just reminded the Filipino people that God is present even in our miseries. As I listened and reread his homilies and speeches, I can't help but reflect on my own life. These reflections allowed me to see things clearer and set my priorities straighter. I've been standing on a crossroad for months now and I don't really know what path to choose; but Pope Francis' messages reminded me to love and get ready to a life full of surprises.

I believe Pope Francis left a mark to the whole Philippines. It left a mark that will scar me for life. It reminded me that my mission in this country is to be with the poor, oppressed and less fortunate. Just allow yourself to love them and be loved by them. Be brave in having encounters with them because they are people too. People who had less opportunities and privilege than us. They are people who deserves so much love and respect too. I would like to quote a tag line that Gawad Kalinga has been using for a certain project which is "Hunger ends where caring begins." I believe that everything starts with caring. When we start caring for other people around us, then love and peace can overflow within us and our country. It all starts with us and I believe that we should start now.

Pope Francis united our country for 5 days. The poor, rich, disabled, talented, oppressed went hand in hand and braved the rain just to go to Luneta. I hope everyone, as much as they wanted to see him, wants to join Pope Francis in the peripheries. I hope this hype for being with the poor will never die down. I hope this hype for serving this country won't fade until our countrymen rise from poverty. Let this be our mission today and forever because everyone needs help, even if they don't say it.

Salamat Pope Francis. Going into the peripheries is now the coolest thing because of you ;) Haha!

#leyteracay

"Let us not abandon our country. First, never stop hoping for this country. Second, never stop caring for our people. Third, demand greatness from yourself as a Filipino. And fourth, inspire greatness in other Filipinos. Then poverty will end even before 2024."  -Tony Meloto

Normally, Gawad Kalinga's Bayani Challenge is a one week event where volunteers from all over the country come together in one place to build houses for the poor. This year, the Bayani Challenge (BC) is extra special for the victims of Yolanda, Bohol earthquake and the Zamboanga siege. Gawad Kalinga brought the BC to the next level when they announced that this year, it will be held for 2 months (April 9-June 12) in 12 provinces. For this year, I joined my family and friends in Leyte to serve in the Bayani Challenge family edition :)

The kids ready to go to Tacloban

DAY 1. We arrived Tacloban on Friday and this is what welcomed us. 

Airport's arrival area

You can still see the massive destruction Yolanda left. Everything was manually done, the checking of baggage, giving out of check in baggage, checking in etc. When we toured around the city, you can see more damages that will really break your heart. I can't imagine how strong the winds were that can destroy buildings and warehouses. :( We also saw different mass graves and pictures of kids are everywhere. I can't help but cry.

We went straight to the site in Tanauan, Leyte to start building. We had a scrumptious lunch prepared by the residents there then went straight to work. 

The GK site in Tanauan, Leyte

With party music blasting on the stereo, we started sifting sand under the sun. During Bayani Challenge weeks, I never worry about my color. This is the only time that I know I can be dark and be proud of it. After 2 blisters and several calluses, we decided to start painting houses. We were joined by the Cruzes, Santoses and Wilk's children. Seeing the little ones paint houses for the victims of Yolanda is very inspiring. 

Diwa, the youngest BC volunteer!

Since the kids overtook the painting scene, my brother and I decided to dig for septic tanks. I dug my first septic tank in Gabaldon and ever since then, I have been an expert (GK Ateneo is famous for septic tank digging). It would always be an honor for me to serve alongside my brother who is an inspiration to me.

Ateneo represent!

STRANDED

The weather for the past few days have been crazy. I, together with my brothers, sisters-in-law and nieces were victims of this typhoon but we were very lucky to have found a home. We got home from our Cebu-Bohol trip last August 20 (Tuesday) and we were welcomed by the crazy rain. We were very eager to go home because we were all tired from our early morning flight. Unfortunately we were trap because all the roads going to C5 was flooded and EDSA was not passable to all vehicles. 

Fortunately though, my brother called our client in DSWD NROC to ask if they are open and they can accommodate us until the flood subsides. We stayed there and ate cup noodles and Sky flakes for breakfast. For lunch, I went to NAIA Terminal 2 again to buy Jollibee and the line was supppeer long. There were a lot of people stranded at the airport. I lined up for more than an hour and waited for my food for another 20 minutes. When I got back to DSWD, my brother told me that we need to get going because Dinky Soliman is going there. 

At airport road (?)

When we left DSWD, we were all updating through twitter (THANKS MMDA TWITTER PERSON!!) for all the flooded areas. Unfortunately again for us, it's still flooded everywhere. We tried going to EDSA and Buendia but everywhere we go was not passable. We were planning on taking the LRT and MRT already just so we could go home and leave the car somewhere but it was very difficult for us to commute because we have 3 kids with us. But again we were very fortunate because someone adopted us for the night. We stayed at a friend's house in Paranaque and they even fed us good food (THANK YOU SO MUCH). We are very fortunate for having a place to stay and the whole night I was praying for the people who weren't very fortunate like us. 

We got home at around 9am the next day, Aug. 21. I finally had the time to take a bath (Thank God) and rested for a while. At around 4pm, we are going back to Paranaque but this time for Gawad Kalinga's relief operations. It was time to help those who weren't as fortunate as we are and even if we are all super tired from our misadventure, we still managed to help out and give our best for the least. 

Gawad Kalinga's relief ops

The relief ops finished at around 11:30pm and we got home at 12. I was so tired from the trip and relief ops but it was a good kind of fatigue :) I would really like to join the distribution of relief at Laguna the next day but unfortunately, I have work.

I am proud to be part of Gawad Kalinga that cares for the least :) I won't hesitate to give back, especially to those who needs it most.

July 2013: A month of new beginnings

July has been nothing but good to me. It reminded me of friends I haven't seen in a while (Starbucks officemates, UST blockmates), activities I haven't done in a while (dancing) and it continued to bring me closer to people I love (family, high school friends) :) I also discovered new places and activities for my life. I am very grateful for everything despite all the losses and failures. I may be knocked out a lot of times but I will continue to fight (I think people should be more like this. It's hard, I know, but you'll get the hang of it. Just believe in yourself)

What's up in July?

1. Joined Ter in her group classes in 360. I got to (sort of) dance again after 23128395293 years. 
2. Two of my brothers finally moved out of the house. Even if I don't approve of this abrupt move, I am happy for both of them. More houses to visit and hangout ;)
3. Hangouts with old office mates I haven't seen in a while at Whistlestop. It's good to be back and see my old office. I also enjoyed seeing familiar faces :)
4. Night out with UST blockmates  I haven't seen for a year at Prive. I was happy to get to talk to them as if we just saw each other yesterday. It's time to catch up with them and make future plans :) I also haven't partied after 39418724820 years so it was a very fun night.
5. New beginning for me because Gladys finally moved out of my room. We now have our own room. I am enjoying my new CLEAN room but I feel sad sometimes to be alone so I sleepover at her room (or she sleeps over at my room)
6. A trip back to our hometown at San Pablo, Laguna. This was a weekend of just hanging out with brothers and cousins. We also discovered new restaurants at San Pablo. The short tour was full of new discoveries at an old place we all sort of grew up in.
7. New activity: SHOOTING. Since I have time and I dug up my 30before30 list, I am starting to finish it. Firing a gun was part of my list and I finally did it last July. OMG, YOU DON'T KNOW HOW HAPPY I AM. All my hate and irritation in my life was released there. It was therapeutic haha! 
8. We surprised Rhea during her birthday at Vikings. Another hangout with old friends that I will forever love :) 
9. Gawad Kalinga will forever be in my heart and blood so I attended the Bayanijam last month to support my brother and watch different musicians from Gawad Kalinga communities. GK will always inspire me. Rivermaya played that night together with the kids from GK communities. Thank you so much Rivermaya for giving them that opportunity to jam with you. There will be another Bayanijam this August so message me if you wanna go. I swear, your 150 is worth it :)

So that's it for July. There are more hangouts in between but these are just some of the highlights. Thank you July for giving me a new beginning in life. Hoping I could be a better person and leave all the negative vibes in the past :)

Be happy

Something to do.

Last March 2012, I went down the hill and unto the real world... Well not really. I have been bumming for a 3 months, exactly as I planned. I enjoyed my vacation with family and friends I love. This one was really a summer to remember and it's ending soon. I'm about to start working and I'm excited & scared at the same time. I'm excited to finally have more independence in my life and gain some learning experience. At the same time, I'm scared to disappoint myself and make mistakes but what's the point of learning without mistakes, right? So this Friday, I will have my first MRT rush hour ride :) Also, I will be working in a field I am really planning to work in, Human Resource. Although I am unsure on what will happen, I know that I will be happy because I have something to do that I like.

Someone to love. 
PS: May contain a lot of cheesy-ness.
As some of you may know (for those who follows me on Tumblr), I am in love and very happy. I swear, last May 9, 2012, we were infinite ♡ Cheesy but pretty much... yeah. Not what I expected but I know that what I have now is something I am very grateful for. He may not be the perfect boyfriend but he is perfect for me. Nothing really matters much if you love the person and I totally accept all the imperfections in our relationship 'coz I swear, I'm also not a perfect girlfriend. The memories and love we share, I will forever cherish. Although the future still awaits for our relationship and a lot will still happen, right now, I am happy :)

Something to hope for.
I have been a volunteer for Gawad Kalinga for quite some time. I started from my Youth for Christ days and my heart never left Gawad Kalinga (GK). GK has a dream that the Filipinos will be out of poverty in 2024. Doubtful? I'm not, together with millions of volunteers all over the world (Filipino or not) Yes, even foreigners believe in this vision and dream and GK does not discriminate anyone as long as you have a heart of a Filipino and for the Filipino people. (Some foreigners are more Filipino than Filipinos, if you know what I mean). I am excited and hopeful for a first world Philippines and together, I know that we can do this.

I am happier than ever. Bantayan Island's Bayani Challenge did me some good. It was the best weeks ever and it really helped me get better, if you know what I'm saying. I just feel so inspired and motivated right now to really help eradicate poverty here in the Philippines. It is possible if you just believe.

Gawad Kalinga has taught me how to love. Not a love for a specific someone but a whole bigger kind of love. A love for the country I have been living for 20 years. Also, a love for an island I wouldn't forget :)

Here's to 2024. A new life and to a new crush <:

Someday the meaning of poverty will only be found in dictionaries and not in the lives of the Filipinos.

Another thing, Bantayan Island is now my favorite beach destinations. I love beaches that are not overrated, like Boracay. I love Boracay but in Bantayan, it's just very peaceful and the moment I step into its sand, I know that it will be my new favorite place. When I was there, it was the first time I saw 6 shooting stars in one night. That's the nice thing about provinces, it's darker so you can see and appreciate the beauty of the stars more :) I will definitely go back to this place :)

I want to update this blog before school starts. I'm enjoying my last week of summer, UHH. I'm not really enjoying it but whatduhell, I have no choice so yeh! Haha! :)) These are just some of the things I did during the past few weeks that I'd like to share with you guys!

K, game. *looks at my planner.* lol.

1. WORK. For those who doesn't know, I had work this summer in our family business. Well, I did not really work because I did not do much but an allowance of P 115 a day was okay lol.

2. GABALDON BUILD. I joined the build last May 21-23 because the Vigan trip got cancelled. UGH. Anyways, it was all a-okay because I enjoyed the build. I met new friends and I got to know a new community where my brother and sister-in-law were famous lol. It was a very inspiring and moving experience for me :)

3. SINING's 3rd BIRTHDAY. I just love this kid so much. Even if she's turning into a brat. LOL. It was a simple get together. Yummy dinner and fun fun fun night. :)

4. MOVIE DATES. I had one with Kuya Justine and JR and another one with Patricia. The sitch with Kuya Justine is that he just broke up with his girl a few weeks ago. I felt sad because I'm close with Ate Kat and I was with her during the Gabaldon build and she's really nice but heey, I'm not the boyfriend so I can't really do anything about it especially if my brother told us that wala na talaga. So we all respect that.

5. ENLISTMENT. I had the worst enlistment ever! I was last batch. I'm always part of the last batch. The only time I got into the 1st batch is last sem. I need to enlist all my subjects because I'm on my 3rd year and GAWD, SUPER DUPER FAIL. I nearly cried because all the profs I want and the sched I want are all filled up :( So now, I still don't have Philo and Psy107. I need to go to school tomorrow to enlist again. I REALLY HOPE I CAN FIX IT :( The only Philo prof left when I enlisted was Fr. David. My brother told me that I'd rather die than take him so yeh. haha! :))

6. SOFITEL OVERNIGHT. I really really love my HS friends so so much. They are the best-est friends you'll ever have :) Since the Vigan trip did not push through, we decided to spend our money here. LOL. A night of wild and laughs was all we had and it was the best.

7. BASAGAN NIGHT. OMg, I had the worst hangover before the Sofitel overnight because of a super wild night of GSM blue and laughtrips. Oh I love you DB's even though you kept on laughing at me that night. LOL. I won't elaborate because I can't remember most of the stuff that happened that night. All I want to say is thank you Josh for the you know what, Kev for the lugaw, Athena&Jane for the pictures(this is sarcastic) and y'all. haha! (I won't post pics because it's too embarrassing)

8. BABY J's 1st BIRTHDAY. WE FINALL SAW HIM. Yehey. Babe, you have the cutest bub. :) I enjoyed the party. The after party was depressing and fun lol. An adventure with Mariz, Drews after and another basagan night with DB's. Haha!

9. RAIN. Yes. I am loving the rain these past few days. I needed it and I am bloggin about it because I love the rain. Especially if you're at home. A hot cup of milo, pandesal and rain is one of my simple joys :)

10. GLEE. Who wouldn't agree that the Season 1 finale was AWESOME. The Journey medley, Bohemian Rapsody, Rachel&Finn, Puck&Quinn, Somewhere over the rainbow and Don't stop believing was THE BOMB.

So yeh, that's it. I want to rant more but it's 12:25 in the morning and I need to enlist later. UGH. Plus I'm too lazy to blog more. I dunno, I'm being lazy again these past few days. I think it's the weather. HMM.

K BYEEEE! :)