Yesterday, I have started my 30-day challenge of creating a new habit which is to read or watch or listen to a Adobe Photoshop Tutorial each day (I still have to decide or fix a schedule). As a member of Bo Sanchez'Truly Rich Club, I am quite familiar about it already but it takes a lot of urging and discipline for me start. So, as it was launched together with other Feast attendees last Monday, I am encouraged to do so. Hopefully, I will be able to accomplish it and move on to another 30-day habit to change or create!
Day 1 started with a review of Making Cash In a Flash Seminar that I have attended last 18th of December 2011 and focused on listing the art websites recommended by one of the members of Business Incubators Hanz Florentino. Honestly, I started already watching the 1st tutorial video of Adobe Photoshop Tutorial but a technical glitch happened. Instead of whining, I fixed it and so as not to waste time, just reviewed the seminar I've mentioned above. Anyway, it's still related because it all started from that seminar. I mean I have always wanted to get back the creative juice I once had and that opportunity unlocke it again!
I cannot show you any results yet. Hopefully on the next few days of the challenge!
It is officially January 2nd in the Philippines but on the other side of the world particularly in the East Coast of America, it is January 1st noon time. I am hoping that this article will not only reach within the Philippines but for the rest of the world as well!
This is officially my first blog entry in 2012. Indeed, this year started in a prosperous way for me since I reunited with an old business program which met my 2012 with heaps of earnings! Other than that, I made myself more productive (after endless surfing on the Net) by trying to write this blog! I finally got a copy of my favorite song since last year (I actually heard this last 2010 in a Glee episode in Season 1). I just want to share this song although it came from a "Wicked" Musicale. I came to internalize more the song the moment my sister-in-law played the entire album of Wicked on our way to Blue Mountains, one of the tourist attractions in Western Sydney and I fell in love with the song. In the musicale, it's about a witch who broke away from the rules of the Wizard of Oz whom she finds a sort of dictator at that time and eventually she became the Wicked Witch of the West. But upon reading the lyrics, I said to myself that I want this to be my song especially in my journey to success! Now, I am publishing the lyrics of the Broadway version as well as their video..Get ready to fall in love with the song!
My 2012 song, DEFYING GRAVITY
DEFYING GRAVITY
(Original Broadway)
GLINDA
(spoken) Elphaba - why couldn't you have stayed calm for
once, instead of flying off the handle!
(sung) I hope you're happy!
I hope you're happy now
I hope you're happy how you
Hurt your cause forever
I hope you think you're clever!
ELPHABA
I hope you're happy
I hope you're happy, too
I hope you're proud how you
Would grovel in submission
To feed your own ambition
BOTH
So though I can't imagine how
I hope you're happy right now
GLINDA
(spoken) Elphie, listen to me. Just say you're sorry:
(sung) You can still be with the Wizard
What you've worked and waited for
You can have all you ever wanted:
ELPHABA
(spoken) I know:
(sung) But I don't want it -
No - I can't want it
Anymore:
Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes: and leap!
It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down!
GLINDA
Can't I make you understand?
You're having delusions of grandeur:
ELPHABA
I'm through accepting limits
''cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know!
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost!
I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
And you can't pull me down:
(spoken) Glinda - come with me. Think of what we could
My fellow volunteers busy packing for the relief goods
Prior to this day, I overheard a lady on the passenger jeep I was on, telling her companion, " Dili pa lage ma-feel ang Pasko no?" (Doesn't feel like Christmas yet, does it?). The question I heard made me think too if I already feel the Christmas spirit and I asked myself, "Is it because I consider everyday as Christmas already?" Maybe or maybe not. This special day is about sharing and it is Jesus' birthday! If Christmas is about sharing and I consider myself sharing as part of my regimen everyday, then perhaps that is the reason that the Christmas spirit is no longer that exciting..ah, yes, I reckon the lady in the jeepney was not really talking about feeling the Christmas spirit but it could be she was referring to the excitement! So, there you go, the Christmas spirit is in the air..or wait, I can also say that we can wait for the Christmas spirit in the air to happen or we can make Christmas Spirit happen! You decide!
all smiles after a day's packing! That's the Spirit!
Photos courtesy of GK-Cebu
As for me, I am enjoying my Christmas vacation as well as helping in the relief operations for the Sendong typhoon victims last week! That, for me, is real Christmas Spirit. What about you?!
It's been more than three years now that I have practiced hearing mass almost everyday. Almost would mean, missing only once or never in a month. Lately, I'm trying to tweak my schedule in going to church whether it would be better to hear mass after work or after I wake up or going to work (work is night shift). Today, after having breakfast, I decided to hear mass at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral so that I won't have to worry anymore before going to work later. I was having second thoughts but nevertheless, forced myself despite a rainy morning.
When I arrived, I thought there was a wedding schedule and took a look at the billboard schedule which I thought I was too early because I arrived before 10am and the next time would still be at 10:30am. But when I entered the church, I saw several priests, rounding up and taking their seats at the altar. Then, I remembered that it's almost the feast of our Lady of Immaculate Conception..fast forward during the homily, it was then that I knew that it was His Eminence Cardinal Vidal's (as Archbishop Palma calls it,) intimate celebration of his anniversary of Episcopal Ordination or in simple terms, ordination as priest? That, I'm not so sure. Anyway, moving forward, Cardinal Vidal was the former Archbishop of Cebu replaced by Cardinal Palma, was the main celebrant of the Eucharistic celebration where he read his homily regarding his priesthood. As what I have understood in his homily, he had held several positions as priest and member of the clergy and he is thankful to the Lord about it. But, he reiterates also that it is not really about the position that he held that would be important and it won't matter to the Lord when he meets Him at the end of his lifetime because what would matter was how he has served and loved the people that was given for him to take care of. He would be judged on how he lived his life not on the positions.
It was also before the end of the mass that I knew (thanks to Archbishop Palma) that Cardinal Vidal has been constantly following up the canonization of Cebu's very own Blessed Pedro Calungsod wherein if that happens, even if he is retired would still be in-charged in the canonization process which he accepted the challenge and jokingly said that he doubts that his own beatification might be delayed because of his kakulitan on Calungsod's sainthood.
I even felt more blessed after kissing Cardinal Vidal's ring after the mass. Indeed, I am thankful that I pushed myself to attend mass this morning instead which turned out to be a heavenly experience!
Today, we commemorate one of the Philippines' heroes, Andres Bonifacio. If Rizal, used his writing for rebellion, Bonifacio was the aggressive one who would not hesitate to use weapons against the Spanish regime just to defend our country.
In commemoration of his heroic deed, volunteers of the Philippine government's Pilipinas Natin (Our Philippines) together with Gawad Kalinga pays tribute to this hero in a different way. Not by writing nor through using weapons and firearms but through using our human arms to build homes for our brethren, cleaning streets in the slums and cleaning up our coasts. Perhaps we could still consider the tools we used as weapons such as brooms, hammer,etc. as weapons but not for blood but for building our nation.
As for my part, my contribution would be compared to Rizal, who used writing. In my case, I write not for rebellion but to salute the volunteers who have taken part in today's endeavor as well as those unsung heroes who have helped uplift the dignity of the poor in one way or another.
Kudos to all the heroes for the poor and of our lives!
Saturday is indeed a glorious and joyous to culminate my second to the last day of my long weekend this month with the Kerygma Conference followed by the Feast of the Miraculous Medal today, which was my grade school alma mater but now turned into a full charity institution run by the Daughters of Charity. I am also praying for a miracle that would happen (either of the two of the things I am asking for). Nevertheless, I feel blessed already and I cannot contain it! The Kerygma Conference says it all with the talks delivered to us at the Waterfront Lahug Pacific Grand Ballroom which ended with a high note from Bo Sanchez.
As what the speakers prior to Bro. Bo said, namely, Arun Gogna, Obet Cabrillas, Randy Borromeo ( who were also humorous and hilarious) when they started to get to know God through the Light of Jesus prayer meeting, it seemed that He was speaking to them directly through the speaker! Honestly, I am not new to these kinds of stuff because at a young age of 17 about to turn 18 then, I already get to know the Lord and I can actually say, it was deep because that triggered my unstoppable service to Him through CFC Youth for Christ and eventually made me decide to serve full time which lasted for almost 8 years. Despite my resignation then, I still make it to a point to get connected with God through daily participation of the Holy Mass (especially those busy days) as well as attending our household prayer meeting (small group). So, to cut it short, I've always known that God speaks to me directly not just through speakers but even in ordinary people we meet! Yet, lately, I am perhaps not quite attentive and need to be refreshed or maybe I just miss attending big religious events such as Kcon! Odd but true.
During the conference, God was not only talking to me but pointing his finger to my head, then to his chest to tell me that "Che, always remember that you are in my heart..and nothing (waving his finger on my face and gently touching it) can change that,kuha mo?" (A famous tag line from ateleseryethat just ended last week which means, d'ya Get it?) Then I could hear him singing Bruno Mars' "Just the way you are". Of course friends, that was just my imagination except for the song that we all sang as we imagined God serenading us with that tune!
The point is, in every conference, God speaks to us directly and it could be a different message in each event or it could still be the same message that He is pounding to us endlessly until we give in! One thing is for sure, He never gives up on us and he reaches out to us so we can be "transformed into the same(His)image from Glory to Glory" 2 Corinthians 3:18and He loves you and me JUST THE WAY WE ARE!
It was better late than never when I arrived to visit yesterday which was the last day of perhaps the last GK Builders Camp for this year at the GK Mananga Site. It was overwhelming to see that there were around 41 participants at the camp. I reckon it was the biggest number for this year. Majority came from one of the partner schools in Cebu (Cebu Institute of Technology University or CITU. It has been a long time for me that I have last visited this site as well. Although, I got quite lazy to visit the houses that I knew, I just said hi or smile at the homeowners and kids who would pass through the multipurpose hall. Seeing the kids whom I had a very short teaching stint in this village, I would ask them if they were still in school. So far, they said they were. I don't blame them if some don't remember me anymore after all, it was just a short stint as I've said. Anyway, the program went okay as usual. When the last session ended, there were fillers while waiting for lunch to be served and so I would find myself going to the favorite place in the site where the kids and even the homeowners, youth and their friends would hang out and do nothing or simply just stare at the houses with cornfields or down below the river or even at the skies. I noticed that some kids went down to the riverbank and just playing with the stones or one could just climb up a tree and get some fruit or whatever they want to get on it. Then, I saw that they got a makeshift ladder so that these kids could climb up and down the wall from the village to the river. I got preoccupied asking a kid to stop teasing another girl as if she is about to fall from the wall. Good thing, the other children outnumbered the big kid so he would stop doing it or whatever happens to the other child, he would have to pay for the consequences. While watching them, I couldn't help but think of how simple their lives were and reminiscing the days that I've served full time and what I have contributed and how I can help more now that I have stepped onto the corporate world. Then, it hit me that one of the reasons that I have gone to work outside of the organization was to give more. However, I am aware that because of my schedule, I cannot serve that much anymore or even give more which sometimes I feel defeated my purpose on why I am not working full time any more for Gawad Kalinga.
Since last year, I believe God is leading me to a new career path in which my passion can become a career too. In the same way, I hope that I could have more financial and time freedom so that I can do what I want especially serving more and more and giving more and more. In the same way, I feel I wanted to spend more time with my mother and perhaps visit my brother and his family more often too and other members in the family as well.
Although now, that passion has not become a career yet since I am still in another career that I have opted, the commitment to get that goal has been renewed as I write this article and I really need to constantly visit GK villages again to remind me of my purpose and importance of my career efforts.
