Tag Archives: Gawad Kalinga

Dear Diary

Identical Blue Men

9 Comments

Hello. I’ve been meaning to blog for the past couple of days but everytime I get home from work I had to fix other things (like rip Season 2 of CSI:NY and put it in Triskal, or fix dinner, or fix the clothes that were just ironed, or just plain sleep because I seem to be lacking). My new work has caused me to be a bit more tired than the usual, hence my missing attendance in the Taste Asia Bloggers event, which I really wanted to go to but my meeting at work finished late and I had to bring home this really thick handout which I have to read for the weekend.

But don’t get me wrong. I am enjoying my work, even if I am not really doing anything just yet. The past three days has been orientation time, and I think I can say that I am going to love it here. From everything I’ve heard from my friends who already work there and the orientation, I know that I am in good hands, and I will be able to start building my career here. I love how one of the company’s values is trust and personal responsibility, which means the company pretty much trusts us to conduct our businesses honestly and that we’d be responsible for ourselves. I love the fact that we’re all required to call everyone in first name basis, even if its our bosses. I love that everyone is treated as equals, as even the bosses have the same seats and tables that we have. I love that our offices are colorful, and that there are a lot of other places and venues for us to relax in the midst of work. And finally, I love how my new company is active in Gawad Kalinga and that we can wear jeans during Fridays and still be able to contribute to GK. :)

All of those are a plus, because the main thing here is that I will be able to do something that I finally like: webdesign. Although I wouldn’t be designing pages as much as Liz or Rick do for their work, I’ll be doing something kind of similar. :) Something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. Plus my teammates seem like cool people. :D Wanted job + awesome company + great teammates = what more can I ask for?

Work for Google? Haha. Maybe someday. ;) But for now, I’m happy to be one of the Identical Blue Men. Figure it out.

But what am I doing home today? Thankfully, my new boss let us take the next two days off at work to fix our pre-employment requirements. But since I’m basically done (all I’m waiting for is my clearance from my last work, which won’t be in for a month), I will be heading off to my alma mater in a while to finally get my college yearbook and meet with some people I haven’t seen for so long. And if the yearbook is not that heavy (asa pa), I’ll squeeze in some “required” clothes shopping for work. Yes, I consider that part of the requirements. :)

I’ve got more training next week but I will try to blog a bit more since I’ll be having a PC by then. :D But if I don’t, that means I’m seriously listening. Speaking of, I feel like I’m in school again. Ah yes!

And again, speaking of school, I better get ready so I can be there by lunchtime. :) Toodles!

Randomnities

10 Things

My ex-partner and YFC brother Niki tagged me to do this list in his Multiply so I thought I’d write it here instead of there. I used to have this kind of list I entitled All These Things, which I got from an old online friend but I stopped doing it because…well, because I was lazy. I guess making this list is also a part of The Great Adventure, so some of the items in this list would be the same in my first 5 Great Adventures list.

So let’s do this again, shall we? According to the tag, I’m supposed to write 10 things I want to do before I die, and then tag 5 people after. Here we go!

 

10 Things I Want to do Before I Die

  1. Publish a book. Or two. I consider myself a writer as well as a computer scientist/geek, and I still want to publish a book. Preferably fiction, but I like nonfiction too. I think I’ll go towards the young adult/chicklit genre for the fiction. :P
  2. Travel, travel, travel. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I want to see the world! I’ve got Sydney up for 2008, for the upcoming World Youth Day (I’ll be putting up a blog for this sometime soon, so watch out for it!) but I also want to go visit other places before I turn 30 or get married (whichever comes first). I want to go backpacking in Europe, go shopping in the streets of Bangkok (for the second time) with my friends, explore the beautiful beaches right here in this hometown, visit different Disney parks in the US and drop by the Big Apple to see if it’s really filled with people and if it’s really everything I’ve read about. Besides all that Heroes watching makes me want to see the city, and yes, including the plastic surgery in Manhattan. The world is waiting! I want to see!
  3. Receive sunflower(s) on my birthday. My favorite flower is a sunflower, and every year I wish for someone to give it to me on my birthday. Still no such luck, but I’m young, I can still wait. Even just one sunflower would be nice. :D
  4. Put up a bookstore/coffee shop. My mom and I have been playing with this idea and I threw this idea to my best friend as well. I love books, I like coffee — so why not start a business that has both? I have yet to think of a way to make that bookstore different — or maybe I should put it up in the province or something. Not a remote province, of course, but on a semi-remote place where there’s no close access to Powerbooks or any bookstore not counting National Bookstore.
  5. And since we’re on the topic of provinces, I want to have my dream house built. My dream house, as I envisioned it a year ago, would be in the semi-remote province (Tagaytay?). It’s a two-storey house with spacious rooms. No TVs in the bedrooms, only in the family room and there’s going to be a library/study and a prayer room. The house will be built on a huge yard where there’s room for a flower garden on the side (with a big sunflower patch!) as well as a swingset for the kids. And surrounding the house should be white picket fence. :P
  6. Fall in love, get married and have a beautiful family. Enough said. :P
  7. Raise enough money for a GK house and help build it.
  8. Be a missionary. In what way, only God knows. :)
  9. Send a kid to school.
  10. Be surprised on my birthday. As in the Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you went through all this kind of surprise. :P
    .

There’s more, but I’ll stop here or else I might blab the whole day. :) Anyway, I’m tagging…well, I’m really not in the mood to tag anyone. :P If you feel like getting this survey, then consider yourself tagged. Come on, it’s fun to write things like this. :P

Now I’m off to help my mom clear up on her just concluded dinner with her CFC friends. :) Good night!

Dear Diary, In His Steps, Say Cheese!

Revolution of Hope, Part 1

Yes, I went to Naga City this weekend, despite the comfort issues. It was a fun weekend, although it was a lot different from the Davao ILC last year. Because of its differences, it merits a two part entry in this blog. :)

So Thursday, I fixed my things and my mom (I love you!) dropped me off at the meeting area. As I said, I was nervous because I have no idea who I will be with. I met some of the people who arrived who are basically my “younger generation” since they all came from my chapter. The other people came, and it was time to leave. I rode a jeep together with other people in my chapter, some Napico kids and the SIGA who I was supposed to watch over together with Tita Precy, their couple coordinator.

On the way to NagaCan I just say that it’s a LONG ride to Naga? As in LOOOOONG. Since we were riding an aircool jeep with not-so-soft seats instead of an airconditioned bus with cushioned seats, the ride was well, butt-hurting. Plus the wind was constantly in our face and hair that I know it all accumulated several layers of dust during the travel. Traveling at night time is even different: it’s dark and cold. We all had to figure out ways how to be comfortable without messing with the other riders and to stop your butts from hurting from sitting because of the 10-12 hours of travel. It was a fun because people actually lied down on the floor to get some sleep, while some of us bundled ourselves with jackets and blankets so we won’t freeze.

Continue reading Revolution of Hope, Part 1 →

Dear Diary

I ♥ GK

I love GK :)

Today, I went back to one of the loves of my life, GK.

Now before you go thinking that this is some boy, no, it’s not. If you’ve known me for a while, you would probably know what I would be talking about, but if not, GK stands for Gawad Kalinga. To give you a formal definition of what GK is:

Gawad Kalinga (GK) translated in English means to “to give care”, and it is an alternative solution to the blatant problem of poverty not just in the Philippines but in the world. GK’s vision for the Philippines is a slum-free, squatter-free nation through a simple strategy of providing land for the landless, homes for the homeless, food for the hungry and as a result providing dignity and peace for every Filipino.

The first time I visited a GK site was during my first Summer House Training (SHOUT) with YFC High School Based. One of our activities for the week was to visit a GK site. Back then, GK wasn’t really that big yet. We visited one of the biggest GK sites in Bagong Silang, Caloocan. At that time, all I thought about GK was like Habitat for Humanity or something like it — all building and such. So what I was really looking forward was the builds. But when I got there, I got to meet some of the kids, who were all soooo sweet. =) They stuck to us like glue, and I know some people had a life-changing experience because of the kids. It really didn’t matter that much to me yet, because I was just really doing it because I was a YFC leader and it’s expected of me.

Continue reading I ♥ GK →

Uncategorized

GK 1MB National Build

February 25, 1986: our parents and grandparents rallied in EDSA to throw a dictator out of presidency and in turn, change the country. It was the change that everyone is waiting for. It was the promise of a new life for our country.

Twenty years later, another group gathered on this day. While everyone else was rallying, blaming the government for the country’s misfortune and while the entire country was in a state of emergency, other people chose a different path and decided not to point fingers of blame but to start doing something more worthwhile, something that actually works.

February 25, 2006. GK1MB is born. 1 Million Heroes, out to help raise the Philippines from poverty. 1 Million Filipinos not joining any rallies, not taking any sides, not pointing any blame, but accepting responsibility and acting on it to bring the country (and everyone else) up instead of down.

GK 1MB National Build

[Click on the image to see a larger version]

 

One year later. February 25, 2007. On the 21st anniversary of the EDSA People Power 1 revolution, be a hero. Join the GK 1MB National Build nearest you! Click on the image to see the details. ;)Let’s go, friends! Let’s pick up our construction materials, arm ourselves with a smile and join other heroes in rebuilding this nation! :)

For more information, visit www.gawadkalinga.org. :)

Dear Diary, In His Steps, Quotable Quote, Say Cheese!

It's coming around again

Hello, it’s the last year of 2006 and I still can’t connect through FTP so the layout will really just have to wait. Perhaps there’s other things God wants me to put in the layout so it’s waiting. Just be surprised when I have it up. :P

Anyway, I’ll be out later to go to my aunts’ house in QC for a pre-New Year visit, so I’ll be doing this 2006 look back now. I’d upload pictures, but it seems like I won’t be able to…so I’ll just link lots of stuff and re-post pictures I have lying around the site.

So…2006 was a year of fulfilled (and still being fulfilled) promises. 2004 eventful, 2005 was quiet, and 2006 was a year where I believed in God’s promises for me and the people I love; and also a year where I learned to branch out a little bit. Without further a do…here’s the monthly look-back I love doing. :P

Oh, and before you click that, I warn you this is going to be a long entry. :P

Continue reading It's coming around again →