In behalf of Hands On Manila - Better Days, you, your friends and families are invited to join Enervon Prime’s MEMOrace for Better Days. This will take place on Sept. 20, 2009 (Sunday), 6:30am at Fort Bonifacio.

I was going through a painful process of recovering from a not-so-good chapter in my life when I first posted it on my old Blogger account. Fast forward to present,  some of the past hurts may have healed, but life indeed goes on and we still to continue to stumble and even get stuck with things unpleasant. Good thing that this golden piece of advice is still here to help.

http://boards.msn.com/Lifestyleboards/thread.aspx?ThreadID=145686

Hope you’ll also be uplifted by this nugget of advice.

Celebrating birthdays makes one appreciate the breadth of his or her existence. Add on volunteerism and sharing, and one will get a strong sense of fulfillment, being much more grateful that he or she not just have lived long enough, but also have cared deeply to share his or her life to others.

June was another exciting month for Better Days elder and volunteers, as I and fellow sherpa Mildred celebrated our birthdays at Better Days. Once again, the party-loving lolos and lolas have never failed to surprise the volunteers, old and new alike, on their very gamely and creative participation on the prepared parlor games: rosaries lined up on the floor for The Longest Line; standing on foot while carrying the other on a piggyback ride for the Paper Dance; and bandage-like tissue paper wraps for the Mummy Relay. The elderly were then treated afterwards with a delicios snack, an acoustic session, and gift-giving from Mildred and other volunteers.

Getting gifts during birthdays makes one happy. But sharing gifts and blessings during birthdays brings more meaning to one’s life. As the old adage had said: it’s better to give than to receive.

(Photos of the June 2009 Birthday @ Better Days can be seen here)

I’m standing in between…

… the security of the known and the mystery of the unknown…

… holding on to things I want to lose and letting go of what I used to chase…

… the dark shadow and the clear reflection…

… the past and the future…

The fourth of April had never been the same for the elderly, volunteers and sherpas of the Better Days - MMFCI project as they took part on the first-ever Better Days - Grey & Free joint activity held at Kanlungan ni Maria Home for the Aged followed by a field trip to the MMLDC Aviary.

It was a fun morning at Kanlungan ni Maria as the elders of the said projects gamely participated to the different activities prepared by the volunteers and sherpas for them. Both groups found a common ground in feats such as Bingo and the well-known Wowowee game “Hep hep hooray”. Aside from the said contests, the joint activity also showcased the talents of the participants, wherein the Better Days elders presented their latest dance steps while some of the Grey and Free elders poured their hearts out in their poem and song renditions. The program ended with a heartwarming moment where the Better Days elders shared their tokens of gratitude to the KNM residents.

The fun continued later in the afternoon as the Better Days-MMFCI elders were accompanied by the volunteers and sherpas to a surprise field trip in the MMLDC Aviary. Volunteers and elders alike were able to witness the Aviary’s “star” birds perform their acts on the MMLDC Bird Show as well as enjoy their photo ops with them. It was then followed by a Bantay Kalikasan tour wherein the participants saw the other bird species while marveling at the scenic MMLDC grounds. The tour capped off with a sumptous snack and giving of token bags to the elders.

What started as a desire of the Better Days-MMFCI elders to learn more about their counterparts at Kanlungan ni Maria has stemmed to a memorable event for all those who helped and participated in this joint project. It just shows that despite aging, an unwavering interest and curiosity can lead to different wonderful places and experiences.

(Images courtesy of Tintin Clemente. You may click here for more photos.)

Note: Sinulat ko ito nong Aug. 10, pero sa di maalalang kadahilanan, di ko sya na-post. Buti na lang nasa Drafts pa siya hanggang ngayon, naghihintay na ma-revive. -kat-

May sabi-sabi na ang taong mababaw ang kaligayahan, mababaw din daw ang luha. Malamang totoo nga dahil sa yun yung nararanasan ko. Senti na kung senti, pero nitong mga nakaraang linggo, nagkaroon ako ng dahilan para maluha sa iba’t ibang kadahilanan.

Tuwa para sa mga dati kong estudyante
Di ko mapigilan na maluha sa tuwa nong makabalita ako mula sa ilan sa mga dati kong estudyante. Sino ba namang hindi matutuwang malaman na yung iba sa kanila naka-graduate na, o kaya mga tipong gumagawa na ng kanilang mga theses? Bilang isang dating guro, nakakataba talaga ng puso kapag nakakatanggap ka ng mga pangungumusta at magagandang balita mula sa mga mag-aaral mo. Nakita mo kasi yung mga pagsusumikap nila noon na makapasa sa unang taon nila sa kolehiyo, tapos ngayon nakatapos na sila o di kaya naman e makakatapos na din.

Pag-asa para sa isang kaibigan
Nakabalita din ako sa isang kaibigan at dating kasamahan ko sa trabaho na nasa ibang bansa ngayon tungkol sa lovelife nya. Di maganda dahil tapos na pala yung current relationship nya. Pero maganda na rin dahil nakaraos na din sya at mutual naman ang desisyon nila na maghiwalay. At bukod doon, nabalitaan ko din na may kumakatok uli sa puso nya ngayon. Yun nga lang, kahit mabuti naman silang magkaibigan ngayon, parang mahirap na rin para sa kaibigan ko na papasukin syang muli dahil sa ilang mga magagandang pangyayari sa kanila noon. Pero kahit anuman ang mangyari, magkabalikan man uli sila o talagang manatili na lang na magkaibigan, I can only hope the best for her.

Panghihinayang sa nasirang pagkakaibigan

Nakakalungkot lang isipin na kapag lumilipas ang panahon, may mga ugnayan at pagkakaibigan na unti-unting napuputol. Dahil na rin siguro habang tumatagal, nag-iiba na din yung mga priorities hanggang umabot sa punto na nakakaligtaan na nating makipag-usap sa kanila. At dahil don, magkakaroon ng mga tampuhan hanggang sa umabot sa away. O kaya naman sadya na lang natigil na rin ang pagkakaibigan sabay ng hindi pag-uusap. Sa nakikita ko kasi ganon yung nangyari sa dalawa sa mga kaibigan ko. Mula pa grade school ang samahan nila, pero dahil na rin sa nagkaroon sila ng iba’t-ibang landas, di na nagawa ng isa sa kanila na makipag-usap o makipagkita man lang na ikinasama naman ng loob  ng isa pa. Parang malabo na magkaayos sila ngayon dahil sobrang magkalayo na sila, pero malay natin.

Ang photo op na naging dahilan ng intriga sa opisina at pagtaas ng profile view count ko dito sa Friendster, hahaha…
 

Napakasuwerte ko naman at nagka-photo op ako with Marc Nelson. Buti na lang game na game siya sa pakikipag-kodakan sa ‘ming mga starstruck sherpas that time. Celebrity talaga! Kung tutuusin, andon ako para lang sa Hands On Servathon at isang malaking bonus na makita siya don as HOM’s Celebrity Volunteer. Nakikita ko lang kasi siya sa mga billboards at print ads ng SM saka sa TV kapag nanonood si Karen ng TARA 2 at si Kevin ng Sports Unlimited.

(For more photos of the 2008 Hands On Servathon, you may click here)

For quite some time, I wonder why I feel like I’m not motivated to write something for a blog entry. The last time I blogged, hindi pa ganito ang layout. I got ideas (a lot of them actually), but perhaps the “blog bug” wasn’t around to bite me to actually come up with a real piece. Until now.

Maybe because I now have my “little brown notebook” (my old school journal/diary, that is) which can almost be virtually found wherever I’m at (kulang na lang siguro na pati sa CR dala ko yun). Truth is, my LBN (buti na lang di LBM…) is already half-filled with my random thoughts. Thoughts that just instantly come up while I’m at the workplace, at the grocery waiting line, or at the carpark waiting for Mother Dear. Oh well, not just thoughts, but it also chronicled my moods and feelings over a lot of things: happiness, frustrations, elation, hopelessness, hopefulness, etc.

I used to keep diaries way back then, even way before the Purefoods hotdog commercial with Chantal Umali and Patrick Garcia became sensational (remember the lines: Dear DIary, Carlo sat beside me today…). Unfortunately, I was too distracted (as always) to keep them longer. Or maybe I was too strict on myself as to how often I’d have to write on it (I remember that I had imposed on myself that I have to write on it every night). Kaya di rin nagtagal. It’s just lately with the LBN that I get to appreciate and truly experience the joys of old-school diary writing: the freedom of expressing one’s self securely, every time and every where. Sure, freedom of expression can also be done with blogs since online access is not uncommon at this time and age. Having your own voice over things being heard (or read) publicly is indeed gratifying. However, it can also invite some untoward risks if misused and/or misunderstood. I, for myself, have hurt others due to my misuse and abuse of words, and in turn have been hurt also due to misunderstanding of others’ opinions.

Taking a break from new school (blogs) and going back to old school (diary) must have its benefits after all.

(This entry is dedicated to Jessica Zafra. Re-reading her “Womenagerie and Other Tales from the Front” must have brought back the “blog bug” to bite me.)

It didn’t came over me until I’ve browsed this blog page a while ago that I’ve already posted two results of the personality tests that I’ve taken before. There’s this handwriting analysis and the most recent one, Jung-based iPersonic type personality test (see previous blog entry, I’m a Dreamy Idealist). It’s amazing to learn that even if they are evaluating a same person, the results doesn’t mean that they will agree with each other.

Because of these personality tests, I was able to come up with the following generalizations:

1. The results of the test depends, indeed, on the test taker’s mood during the exam.
2. I am consistently inconsistent (I’ll take this as my gift and my curse).

Dreamy Idealist (DI)

(Just visiting? Take the free personality test and determine your iPersonic type!)

Dreamy
Idealists are very cautious and therefore often appear shy and reserved
to others. They share their rich emotional life and their passionate
convictions with very few people. But one would be very much mistaken
to judge them to be cool and reserved. They have a pronounced inner
system of values and clear, honourable principles for which they are
willing to sacrifice a great deal. Joan of Arc or Sir Galahad would
have been good examples of this personality type. Dreamy Idealists are
always at great pains to improve the world. They can be very
considerate towards others and do a lot to support them and stand up
for them. They are interested in their fellow beings, attentive and
generous towards them. Once their enthusiasm for an issue or person is
aroused, they can become tireless fighters.

For Dreamy
Idealists, practical things are not really so important. They only busy
themselves with mundane everyday demands when absolutely necessary.
They tend to live according to the motto “the genius controls the
chaos” - which is normally the case so that they often have a very
successful academic career. They are less interested in details; they
prefer to look at something as a whole. This means that they still have
a good overview even when things start to become hectic. However, as a
result, it can occasionally happen that Dreamy Idealists overlook
something important. As they are very peace-loving, they tend not to
openly show their dissatisfaction or annoyance but to bottle it up.
Assertiveness is not one of their strong points; they hate conflicts
and competition. Dreamy Idealists prefer to motivate others with their
amicable and enthusiastic nature. Whoever has them as superior will
never have to complain about not being given enough praise.

As
at work, Dreamy Idealists are helpful and loyal friends and partners,
persons of integrity. Obligations are absolutely sacred to them. The
feelings of others are important to them and they love making other
people happy. They are satisfied with just a small circle of friends;
their need for social contact is not very marked as they also need a
lot of time to themselves. Superfluous small talk is not their thing.
If one wishes to be friends with them or have a relationship with them,
one would have to share their world of thought and be willing to
participate in profound discussions. If you manage that you will be
rewarded with an exceptionally intensive, rich partnership. Due to
their high demands on themselves and others, this personality type
tends however to sometimes overload the relationship with romantic and
idealistic ideas to such an extent that the partner feels overtaxed or
inferior. Dreamy Idealists do not fall in love head over heels but when
they do fall in love they want this to be a great, eternal love.

Adjectives which describe your type

introverted, theoretical,
emotional, spontaneous, idealistic, dreamy, effusive, pleasant,
reserved, friendly, passionate, loyal, perfectionist, helpful,
creative, composed, curious, obstinate, with integrity, willing to make
sacrifices, romantic, cautious, shy, peace-loving, vulnerable,
sensitive, communicative, imaginative

These subjects could interest youl

literature,
philosophy, psychology, music, art (museums), writing,
drawing/painting, astrology, spiritual things, meditation, handicrafts,
writing, voluntary work