Dropped by to say "Hi blog!"

Since my last post,

...two of my siblings graduated from highschool and one from elementary. 

...traveled to Iligan for the Bayani Challenge 2012.

...swam in the breath taking Tinago Falls and had a jump shot photo taken in front of the majestic Maria Chistina falls.

...visited the family for an advance birthday celebration of the June birthday celebrants.

...traveled to Singapore for the Microsoft Innovate4Good. My first out of the country trip. Yipee!

...attended the GK Leaders Conference in Cebu. And wrote my first ever GK1world article.

...grieved for the sudden death of a dear friend.

...mission trips to Dupax del Norte, Pangasinan, Lucena, and Pampanga.

...our baby brother just started school! Happy Ate! :)

...two of the siblings got a college scholarship. Woot!

...fun-est college get together with batchmates here in Manila.

...I turned 24. 

Looking forward to more of God's surprises. Embracing more blessings and more challenges with much faith, hope and love in my heart. Our Giver can never be outdone. Grateful and smiling ear to ear.

Leaving you with Tito Tony's recent quotable quote. A special reminder to each and everyone of us.

Day 8/40: The Season is Here!!!

I'm supposed to catch up on some backlogged work tonight but I just can't seem to move on unless I am able to catch up on my backlogged blogposts. Priorities, priorities. Haha. So here goes my first entry for tonight.

7 years ago, GK started another radical "event" that has been on my and my family's calendar for...7 years now too. The Bayani Challenge. What started as a simple call to heroism of going out of your comfort zones and daily routine for 5 days to create homes for those affected by the landslide in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte has become an annual thing. Not only for me and my family but for our fellow volunteers, advocates, missionaries, partners and those who wants to have an extraordinary summer adventure with friends and colleagues. Bayani Challenge is extra special for me because I always get to join with my family. I love out-of-town trips and mission trips with family and friends!

I only got to join 3 out of the 7 because of school. But now, I will get to join as much as I want. No summer classes to mess with my summer plans anymore. Mwahahaha! 

Bayani Challenge 2006 at St. Bernard, So. Leyte. Too bad 3 Balatayos were missing so they have to endure listening to the exciting stories of the little boys. Matt was still the cutest Balatayo back then! :) Unforgettable and the best Bayani Challenge for me.

Bayani Challenge 2007 in Sorsogon with only 3 Balatayos this time but the Paraisong Pambata team were also there minus Anne and Dawn. But another Scihi team joined us as well. Happy and fun and inspiring!

All of my Bayani Challenge adventures are on the top of my list of unforgettable moments in my 23 years of existence. Well, I actually don't have the list right now but I'm pretty sure they'll make it there. Last year's Bayani Challenge was held in Cebu so I was really, really excited because first, it'd be my first Bayani Challenge as a GK fulltime worker, second, it was held in my home province, third, my alma mater, USC, had a team for the first time, fourth, my bestfriends were there with us and fifth, the whole family was there!

Bayani Challenge 2011 in Bantayan Island, Cebu. Balatayos: complete attendance! But we didn't get to have a family picture which I supposedly want because everyone (even Poipoi with Paraisong Pambata and spreading his cute-ness throughout the island) was too busy doing their own thing. Hectic! :)

This year's Bayani Challenge will be held in 5 provinces, in 6 different locations: Cagayan de Oro, Masbate, Iligan, Occidental Mindoro and Negros Oriental (Amlan and Dumaguete). That means six times the inspiration and excitement throughout the Philippines! Though I kinda am scared because I am part of the Secretariat and Online team and this will be quite a nightmare, but I trust that we can pull this off and because God is in control and this is His work, not ours. March is the time of GK's calendar where everyone is cramming, making arrangements, booking flights, team meetings, and registering for the upcoming event and so this is one of the craziest times for Team GK too but one of the most exciting as well.

If you haven't been to any GK activity, this one is a good first GK thing. If you're a GK volunteer and haven't tried this, oh em, are you kidding me??!! You're missing a lot kapatid! Haha. If you're in the state of searching your purpose in life and your soul and your heart's desire, this is a recommended non-silent retreat. Not necessarily will it lead you to become a die hard GK builder, but it'll definitely make you think through your priorities and see what's most important in your life, in one's life. If you're looking for inspiration, then be overwhelmed because you'll be seeing loads of those. If you're looking for love, well you might just find him/her there. Yihee! If you want a summer tan, well, that you will most definitely get. Sunburn pa! Bayani tan we call that. If you're a cynic, well, you have to keep an open mind and open heart when you join this one and allow the spirit to move you. If you're in for an adventure, this will definitely make it to your expectations. Sleeping on tents, waking up early, sleeping late, CR not CR-able (Haha), cooking food, dancing, singing, partying all night with the rest of the GK family and still have all the strength and energy to work and build the next day. Immerse with the locals, listen to the stories of the families, meet new people, share your story, listen to the inspiring talks, wag maging KJ, participate, run, laugh, shout, cry, love and have fun. It's just for 5 days but boy will you have a Bayani Challenge hangover after I tell ya! Other teams still meet up for the whole duration of the summer just to reminisce and deepen the friendship and the commitment. Tell me about it! I have met a lot of good friends from those 3 years of attending.

So head over to the Bayani Challenge webpage, over here, and join us for one heck of a summer of a lifetime! Not yet convinced, this post might help you decide.

I am excited just writing this post and anxious as well as I am quite sure that the Bayani Challenge gmail inbox is flooding right now. Haha. Okay, enough with the anxiety, focus on the goal, to allow more volunteers to experience this extraordinary adventure and share the GK spirit, the GK way. For God and country! Magregister na! :)

Epic 2011

My first post of the year! Woot! I hope to finish this post in one sitting but boy this is gonna be quite tedious. Imagine compressing your one epic year in one post. I see too much mediocrity here. Listing all the fun and inspiring experiences and encounters that I so wanted to write about but was too lazy or too distracted or too busy. Excuses, excuses I know. But then again, allow me to run you down of the many (and I feel major) things/happenings in my 2011 that made me sum it up to one word: EPIC! This is just a rundown. Not only am I planning but wants to execute it, and write more about the adventures that have the asterisk after them below. And with more photos. But for now, allow me to share with you a glimpse of my 2011.

JANUARY

• We get to spend our December 2010 Christmas and January 2011 New Year in Punta Cruz, Maribojoc, Bohol with Nanay and the rest of the Balatayos.
• Attended Liveloud Concert, a worship concert organized by Youth for Christ.  Because I missed long praise fests with full band and my YFC Kuyas and Ates, I decided to come over. 'Twas fun! 

YFC Liveloud Concert. Photos by Jeremiah Toledo.

Christmas and New Year with the relatives and extended families in Bohol. 

FEBRUARY

• SFC Icon in Camarines Sur

MARCH

• GK Kalinga sa Bayan in Calauan, Laguna. My tweets below of the experience. Thanks to twitter I am able to document my GK adventures when I'm too lazy to blog. Hihi Which I know shouldn't been the case because it defeats the purpose of my reason to blog: to be able to share and inspire readers of the different human and love stories I get to encounter in my every GK adventure.
• Today was moving and inspiring and we met one cool priest who's into guns, pets, motorcycles and seriously helping the poor.
• "Hindi ko nga alam kung paano kami papatahanin bukas sa pag-iyak" - Tito Ompong on their last day of their 2-mo everyday feeding program 
• Kung pwede lang isa-isahin yung mga kuwento nila at ibahagi sa buong mundo. Kung may walking dictionary, sila ang walking Bible. *saludo* 

APRIL

• GK Bayani Challenge 2011* in Bantayan Island, Cebu with family and friends! Fun, inspiring, and definitely filled with love! 

Mission trip and a vacation (for a day) with the whole family!

Let the GK Bayani Challenge 2011 begin!

• Holy Week with the Oquinenas
• Talaba,tahong,kinilaw na isda,sinugba na isda,shrimps,leche flan,mais con yelo.Thank you for the sumptuous lunch,titos & titas of GK Cavite! 
• Trying out Banapple. Banoffee cake. Oreo brownie cake. Coffee toffee cake. Yum!

MAY

• GK Leaders Conference in University of Makati and Batangas. My second mission trip with everyone from Team GK Marketing! One of the craziest time of my 2011. 
• This was also the time of the year that GK1world's traffic shot up. Thanks to Manny Pacquiao, Charice Pempengco, Jasmine Villegas and Taboo of Black Eyed Peas. All of the news were released all in one day and with Tito Tony accepting the Nikkei Award in Japan, that was one great and blessed day which (turned into a week) in the life of GK. See tweets below. 
• It's good news Thurs Pacman signs up 2 b GK champion, Charice & Jasmine sing "One Voice" for GK, TM wins Nikkei Asia Prize!!
• TabBep: My song is a Latino / Filipino world anthem to show our unity within brown pea-ple and it's gonna be the anthem for #Gawad Kalinga
• We were absolutely thrilled when we saw the GK flag being waved in Manny's fight! See that?

JUNE: My birth month!

• Was able to book a PISO flight so I was able to spend 5 days back in Cebu with family and friends. A gift that I absolutely love. And thank you for the midnight surprise roommies! My personal wish for myself tweeted by me during my birthday below. I don't think I wasn't able to do all. Haha
• My 23rd year's resolution: must organize. must systematize. read, listen, learn, absorb, write, do. love more. travel more. laugh more.

It's a triple birthday celebration! Happy Birthday to me, Matt and Mark! :)

• Sagip Conference with Team GK Cebu
• Started my Digital Mentoring class and I was really excited and looking forward to it. It's been more than a year that I realized that I wanted to learn website and social media marketing and those related to digital marketing to be able to become the best for my job in GK and to share my knowledge and experiences along the way. I am grateful for all the opportunities of growing in that aspect that God has blessed me with. Hopefully more learning and sharing opportunities will come my way this 2012.

JULY

• Our fellow GK workers decided to take us around old Manila: Binondo-Quiapo-Intramuros. I enjoyed every moment of it. I don't mind the walking at all. I would've wanted to visit that place again so I can elaborate my experience. History never fails to interest me!

What we saw when we went around Binondo and Quiapo. I want another tour because I can't remember even one place that we've dropped stopped by because I didn't take down any notes and blogged about it right away. Or maybe because they're in Chinese names. Hihi

Intramuros. Been here twice. I love its old, Spanish feel with the preserved, cobbled streets. But I still want to take the Intramuros tour with Carlos Celdran.

• Andrew Lloyd Webber Concert. Thanks to the cast who got in touch with us for a GK Tour, we got free tickets! Woot!
• GK mission trip in Mindoro with Ate Bai's ACT.
• GK Dupax mission trip for the SIGA Barkadahan Camp. I miss youth camps! I miss serving the young! What makes this trip more inspiring is we were with the SIGA coordinators from Las Pinas who were once SIGAs in their respective GK communities. It's inspiring to see them all empowered and sharing their stories and having fun with the youth in our GK communities in Dupax del Norte. 

Fun SIGA Barkadahan Camp. I want to serve more camps with these young(er-than-me) people! 

AUGUST

• Princess Diaries with SFC CC1B chaptermates. :)
• I love the talks, sharings and the revelations. :) I love the cooking session and the yoga-like exercise. Thanks Ate @teacher_tintin ! :) 
• Had an inspiring weekend. We are daughters of a great King. We are captivating. We are princesses. We are His beloved. 
• Tagaytay with the roommates for the long weekend. 
• Tagaytay. Highlights: short trekking in Picnic Grove, waking up to a breathtaking view, ukay-ukay. 

Tagaytay for the long weekend and looks like someone's got the rock and roll sign...rock and rollin'. Cutie RB! 

SEPTEMBER

• The Igsuons decided to splurge on a budget trip to Puerto Princesa, Palawan that most definitely deserve a separate post. Two thumbs up!
• We'll go firefly and dolphin watching, cave spelunking, wildlife trekking, diving, swimming and see the Underground River when I bring my family the next time around. 
• I was in awe the whole time. God's majesty and magnificence and awesomeness truly reflects His creations. Breathtaking as always.

• GK Headquarters moved to a new location. Thank you Tito Gerry Choa of Profriends.
• Showtime experience with Joyce and Kervin! They are as fun live as they are fun on TV. Total riot!
• Our last SFC household fellowship. Both of my household heads are moving to another chapter in their lives, one for marriage, the other for career. Sigh. I hate goodbyes. But that was definitely one awesome night.

OCTOBER

• GK Expo
• GK Hope Ball
• Isabela bound with Tito Bien to check the GK villages in Kuya Dan's area and bring relief goods to our GK families affected by Typhoon Pedring.
• GK Global Summit in Sydney, Australia. Wasn't able to actually attend the event but I feel like it. Been following updates all weekend through.
• Taboo visited a GK village in Taguig after their BEP concert and he's coming back!
• GK TGIF

NOVEMBER

• HOME for All Soul's Day and All Saint's Day and to spend family time.
• Explored Lilim with the Igsuons, the del Rosarios and new found friends. Thanks Ate Cha and Tito Oscar for sharing your paradise with us!

Can't wait for the Part 2 of this Lilim Adventure. I wanna take photos!!!

• My first Human Heart Nature Summit held in GK Enchanted Farm.

DECEMBER

• GK Planner 2012 is here! You want one? We still have them! :)
• Dinner with Saihai MMV. Three consecutive days with them drove me nuts. Aaaarrrgghhhh. Hahaha
• Social Media Conference with a social media nonprofit blogger that I really look up to, Heather Mansfield. 
• GK Operation Walang Iwanan in Cagayan de Oro, Dumaguete and Iligan. It was a devastating tragedy that cost the lives of hundreds of Filipinos but it again brought us together as one nation. And Team GK was there as always, on call. Everyone was busy in the relief centers, in ground zero despite the holidays. They all made me proud to be part of Team GK! A thought: I should learn and discipline to write my GK stories right there and then as to not let the inspiration "escape" me. I can do better than this.
• And...Cebu and Bohol for the holidays with the family. :)

There you have it, my EPIC 2011. It was a year of more self-discovery, more travel, more mission, more quality time with the family and friends, of goodbyes, of learning more, particularly for my work as GK's online marketing person, of meeting new people, of more inspiration and growing in faith, hope and love.

I would want to blog more this 2012 so I can give justice to the inspirations that I get to encounter in every mission, every adventure, every story of hope, faith and love that inspires me in one way or another. All I know is I continue to pray that God will use me powerfully and send me the right people and inspiration to bring me to a place where I am able to fully utilize my potential for His greater glory, to reflect His glory. Because that's the very reason of why I decided to tread this path in the first place. :)

Blast from the Past: CamSur Adventures

CamSur. Camarines Sur. Home to bicol express, laing, pili nuts, the famous adventure water park, CamSur Watersports Complex, and home to majestic and old churches that will definitely bring history alive. I am always excited when I am off to travel to a familiar place which holds a lot of happy memories. CamSur reminds me very much of Bohol. I've been there thrice already. First was during the Lakas ng Rebolusyon YFC ILC Conference after our 2-week inspiring stay in Sorsogon for the GK Bayani Challenge 2007. Second was last Sept 2010, during the 1st CamSur Marathon, where GK was a beneficiary. Third was last February 2011 for this year's I Stand SFC ICON. Photo dump of my CamSur Adventures below:

CamSur last April 2007 for the YFC ILC Lakas ng Rebolusyon. Yes, we have been over burnt because of our 2 week inspiring adventure in Sorsogon for the GK Bayani Challenge 2007. But it surely fired up the passion of service and loving in us!

CamSur last Sept 2010 for the First CamSur Marathon. 'Twas a fun-filled 4 days with GK Marketing. We went all the way to CamSur, an 8-hr bus ride from Manila, to sell shirts...and to represent and cheer for those running for Team GK! Woot! And yes, we ended up joining the 3-km marathon...but not officially. Just because all the roads back to the finish line were blocked and we have to be there to take photos so we didn't really have much choice but to join the crowd. Haha

Celebrity spotting during the CamSur marathon. Yes, I am an ultimate fanatic...and stalker, at times. When I see one, the "probinsiyana" in me never fails to surface. Haha. Ms. Iza Calzado was so nice during the press conference. She readily posed for the camera with a giddy smile raising her GK running jersey...and posed with the rest of Team GK before the run. Aga Muhlach was really "gwapo"! And so is Marc Nelson...and little Matthew Castillejo. Side story: I was too excited to take a photo of me with Matthew and Marc when there was no one interested (yet) to have their photos taken with them and so I was approaching them. But suddenly, a group of more "fanatic" girls started to surround the 2 guys so I suddenly became hesitant, but my ever-supportive photographer, Ate My, was insistent. I was starting to step back and turn away but Marc Nelson already saw me (and I think he saw me already and sensed that I was lining up for a photo when Ate My was almost shoving me near them before the swarm of girls arrived. Feeler! Haha) so he called me up and told the girls that I came first. I was so "kiliiiig"! And with Matthew pa. Sigh. Haha. And that photo appeared in the official CamSur marathon website which kinda embarassed me...just because. Kunwari pa. Haha Donita Rose, Diane Castillejo, Tessa Prieto-Valdez, and Studio 23's Bettina (which our GK boys totally adore!) were also there.

And what is CamSur without its super spicy and tasty laing and bicol express, a favorite! We were in the lookout (for more than a day) for laing and bicol express served in large portions. We ordered in restos and they serve them as side dishes...only as side dishes...in small portions. Imagine our dismay?! Our disappointment! But the GK Bicol boys, particularly our magiting na GK Area Coordinator, is always in the rescue. He bought laing and bicol express (in large portions! Imagine our happiness!), but I forgot where he bought those from, and cooked bicol express for us to bring back to Manila to share to the rest of our GK family. Thank you Kuya Eric! We too are grateful to Tita Brenda, who included CamSur in her list of towns to visit during her Luzon trip, for treating us to a sumptuous and delicious dinner in Red Platter, Naga City. And yes, we love all that was served before us and their chocolate cookies are to die for. She also treated us the night after to a resto that serves great pasta (I totally forgot what its name was...I just remembered that they allowed their guests to write on their walls and I spotted Donna Cruz-Larrazabal and his hubby's signature and short message there.) We were also treated to a Filipino resto on our last night in Bicol by Tito Jonny and the rest of Team GK CamSur were there too to send us off. We have Tito Hayee and Tita Weeny Azana to thank for for providing a home for us, in their huuuge place, for the whole duration of our stay there, and yes, they absolutely filled our tummy to our heart's content every morning for breakfast. I especially love Tita Weeny's Brazo de Mercedes!

My recent CamSur adventure was, last Ferbruary 2011, for this year's SFC International Conference I Stand in CamSur Watersports Complex. I had fun, fun, fun! Starting from the road trip with my YFC Kuyas and Ate from Cebu to CamSur, worships and praisefests, inspiring talks, seeing my YFC mentors and friends from Cebu, seeing GK friends, being with my SFC household and SFC chapter, touring around Naga City, church hopping, and food tripping! No wonder I've gained so much weight ever since my stay here in Luzon.

Sunset in CamSur. Sunsets never fail to capture me and remind me of God's majesty and glory! And yes, I am definitely coming back to CamSur! I have yet to try CWC's water boarding and aqua obstacle. I can't believe that I allowed my fear (of falling in the water in front of so many people that I don't even know or haven't even met) to overpower me and stopped me from trying out water boarding. I let my laziness of changing from wet clothes even stopped me from jumping to the water (and to think I love everything that is blue and water! Psh) and just allow the child in me to enjoy the slides and trampoline and canoe-ing. And it was all for free! Yes, for free! Thanks to Governor Lray Villafuere. Lesson learned, I have to push myself at times or maybe even all the time, just so I would be able to try anything and everything that I know later on that I will forever cherish. 

Yes, I am coming back for many reasons. First, I wanted so much to visit GK Libmanan and GK Iriga ,which are our bed-and-breakfast model GK communities. Second, I just have to try the water boarding, even just once, and the aqua obstacle course, a hundred times. Haha. Third, I have to pass through CamSur to get to Albay since I also want to see the Mayon Volcano, Cagsawa ruins and try out pottery. So many things to do and I definitely am listing them down. Time to save, save, save so I can travel, travel, travel, and serve, serve, serve. Exciting days ahead! Woot!

LIFE OF A NATION-BUILDER: Adventures and Misadventures

Published last September 2010.

It's been 5 months and 3 days now that I left the comforts of home, of family and friends, of Cebu!!  These past 5 months have been filled with daily doses of new learnings, new sense of freedom, new inspirations, new friends, new adventures, so many "firsts", self- discovery, and small to big time surprises. God can never be outdone. And it was just yesterday that I again decided to push myself and try to set aside the laziness so I am able to write about my new GK adventures and finding a family and a home away from home. Woot! So this blog's gonna be numbered for now because I am going to compress the 5 months in one looooooong post.

1. First LRT ride. Memorable!!! On our way to Irwin Theater, Ateneo for the 2nd GK Ateneo Heroes  Academy (AHA). Commuting from one place to another is an adventure especially when it's your first time taking that route but I always make sure that I can call or text someone anytime and have enough money to take a detour, well, if ever I get lost for maybe more than an hour, then ride a cab! But so far, haven't taken a detour yet.

Speedy LRT.

2. GK Ateneo Heroes Academy. Inspiring to see the young especially those in our GK communities to be part of that musicale after a week of creative training with the best from Ateneo. Kudos to the Ateneo community who has been supportive and working with GK, all the way.

The talented SIGAs do what they do best: sing, dance, act and inspire which almost brought me to tears. Trying my best to control it though. :)

3. GK CYD Olympics. It was a rainy Saturday morning but the rain didn't stop the kids from getting all excited and ready for the day's event filled with lots of sports, games, prizes and lots of cheering. Woohoo! And there's free Chuckie and Selecta ice cream too!

These kids are just talented and amazing. The audience were just holding their breathe and watching their every stunt and praying that no one would get hurt with all the liftings that they're doing. Good job, kids!

4. GK Builder's Night. 5 Builder's Night in all. And it gets better everytime. Inspiring and mind-blowing. Hearing the respective stories of every GK champion, volunteer and resident never fails to to make me excited over and over again of what God has planned for GK and the many lives that it has touched and will continue to touch. 

5. I turned 22. Yay! Celebrate, celebrate! Special thanks to the Llabans. They wouldn't allow us to go home after the Builder's Night because it was my special day and a special day has to be celebrated. And so this wonderful couple treated us to a late night dinner at UCC Cafe. Then, honoring came after.

With the most gwapo Llaban in the world, SEV! Thanks for sharing the cake with me Sevy!

6. Spending time with my relatives in Laguna on free weekends. I love it there! I can take whatever I want from their fridge and I get to practice my Ilonggo. And spending time with them means reconnecting with my mama's Ilonggo roots which I know will mean a lot to her since we haven't been going home to Iloilo as a family for a long time now.

With my two pretty and "kulit" cousins. Their laughter and stories never fail to cheer me up!

7. Visiting GK villages, which I would like to do more often. The transformation is just captivating and truly is a work of God.

with GK volunteers from France. Even if they aren't really that fluent in English, we had fun talking and exchanging stories with them. (I was the photographer, in case you were looking for me. :)

Ate May's first turn-over ceremony here in Luzon. and we decided to join her for moral support! all the way to Pangil, Laguna. yey!

8. Trekking after the turn-over ceremony and the sumptuous lunch! Yay!

So we were trekking on water...huh? haha. Btaw, it was more of like a 600 metres trek then ride a raft then trek again, then  ride a raft, we repeated that exercise around 3 or 4 times and the end of it was the pot of gold! The short but powerful waterfalls.

9. Nonoy's Inauguration. But we weren't there. We spent that holiday in the office to keep Ate Melai company since she had office stuff to finish.

with the Green Kalusugan team since they had a meeting that day too. watching Noynoy speak, livestreaming, and everyone listening intently and clapping and cheering at the right moment.

10. Decided to tag along with the CYD team for the whole day, shooting at Bulacan then in Bagong Silang for a GK video featuring the CYD program. Inspiring stories of letting go of old ways and living a new life because of Gawad Kalinga. And the fruit that GK has bore especially hearing the stories of the kids who were in Sibol or in Sagip when GK started and are now actively part of the SIGA program at present is just moving.

Tita Tess and Tito Dale Lugue. One of the teams who started GK in Bagong SIlang with Tito Tony Meloto. I have goosebumps whenever I hear how GK started years ago. Thank you CYD team and ate Jill for allowing me to tag along that day.

talented SAGIPs who came from SIBOL.

11. PBA Live. My first. It was my first time in Araneta too. Soooo excited! Thank you GK PMG for adopting us and for the free tickets.

watching PBA live at Araneta Coliseum with the GK PG people. Thank you Rain or Shine for the free tickets! and to ate Pinky too. :)

12. Divisoria is love and the place to be for people who enjoy buying cheap stuff like me and my roommates!!

13. Paraisong Pambata. Ascott sponsored and will be sponsoring Paraisong Pambatas in around 10 GK sites. So we came to help out in the second one. Fun, fun, fun! I miss serving and spending time in a jungle of kids, their smiles, their laughters, never fails to remind me that this is one of the reasons why I will never stop working and praying for GK's grand vision of GK2024.

JOLLIBEE!!! The smiles and the excitement on their faces are priceless! Way to go, Ascott!

 14. Goodbye Gutom Day. This event was held in 4 different places simultaneous and me and my roommates went to GK Amalia Village Tarlac. A first for me to visit a GK Bayan-Anihan Farm. Another item crushed out from my GK Bucket List. Wootwoot!

GK Globe Farm.

15. SBMA training at Subic. We all got body pains after the two day training but it was really inspiring to meet another breed of heroes who dedicate their life to save other people's lives.

Proud to be able to meet another breed of heroes and proud to be part of the GK Team! Whoah! (correct spelling of the chant, according to Kuya Dan)

That's it for now. Just want to document everything I've been up to while away from the family cause I promised my younger siblings that I'll update them from time to time. And I wanted to finish this so I can start really writing about my GK adventures without compressing them this time. I'm going to CamSur tomorrow with four other GK co-workers to help prepare for the CamSur marathon. Yay! Excited!

GK EXPO 2010 is fast approaching too! Exciting days coming up!

Praise God for GK.

LIFE OF A NATION-BUILDER: The Beginning

Hello everyone! I can't believe I haven't written for months now. I recently came to a conclusion that I can't even write on this blog, so there's no reason for me to maintain a different blog for my GK adventures and misadventures. So I'm moving here all my articles in my other blog. There are only about 3, and just for the sake of a new post. Teehee. :D

10 years ago. A movement was born when a couple of selfless young people and those young at heart decided to go beyond youth evangelization and started building homes for the least then later on communities. They have chosen to leave the comforts of their family and friends out of great and selfless love for their fellowmen who have less and who have been stripped off of their dignity and called them family.

And 10 years ago, when families chose to spend their family day in malls and beaches and resorts, my family chose to spend most of our Sundays in the attention deprived leper community in Eversley, Mandaue City, Cebu.

I was then a first year student but in my young mind, I know that there will always be someone or a family who out there who needs our love and "kalinga". It was my first experience of being exposed to those who have long been forgotten by the society because people are just too scared to just even be in the same room with them. But my papa and the GK team never had second thoughts of having the first ever GK village in that community. Their families have been looked down by our society for years just because a family member has contracted the disease. But the GK family stood by them and embraced them. They're eternally grateful for the love because it made them see their worth and brought back their dignity. Some have missing body parts brought about by the disease (but they're not contagious anymore) yet they chose to help in whatever way they can to "pasa-pasa" sacks of gravel and sand and painted their homes and their neighbor's homes, their chapel and multipurpose. I gained new friends and new families. I learned that loving my family means loving the least, the broken and the lost. I realized that my parents are the most generous and loving people in the world (I am very biased on this, i know, but hey, this is my blogsite) cause even if we have just enough resources for everyday, they still chose to share our blessings to these communities.

From that time on, GK has always been a way of life. Our family's way of life. A lifetime commitment. I will be forever grateful to GK for just bringing us closer together as a family. I see Christ in every GK volunteer and worker I come across. They are living witnesses of the love of God to the broken. GK has taught me to be braver and stronger and love amidst the pain and hurts. And as I continue my journey in this path I chose, I could not help but look back to the humble beginnings of being a GK advocate. I am still overwhelmed by the gift of GK to my family, to the poor, and to our country after all these years. And I promise to document and share every heart-capturing GK trip and inspiring GK story that I'll witness. All for the love of God and country! Yay!

Trivia: GK Sto. Nino, Eversley is one of the first few GK villages that has been constructed across the country. But it was in GK Ermita, Cebu which GK first existed. SIGA, the youth program of GK, was first launched there but the GK village for the residents there was not materialized since the residents refused to be relocated. GK Ermita is the most dangerous place in Cebu and is a den of thieves and serial killers, small time and big time. But the youth were quite welcome for change. It even came to a point that if you're a GK worker, and if you're wearing a GK shirt, Ermita will be the safest place for you. No kidding!

I can vividly remember there was this time that papa brought with him a youth who was shot (but he was actually innocent, he just came to their place because he left something...talk about bad timing, but he was a former thief and drug-user before GK came) because the place where they usually had a pot session was raided. He stayed at our place for a week. It was also the first time that I visited the police station because my papa was helping him work out his papers. GK moment: he was so touched of papa's gesture of having him stay at home for a few days that he actually shed some tears when he left. Personally, at first, I was really hesitant and scared that papa brought him home, a total stranger to us and a former criminal. Who wouldn't be scared? But then, I am just thankful that papa has risen above the norm and welcomed him. I was just touched and moved!

Blast from the past:

Team GK Cebu. Old school!

2011 Resolutions

I decided to come up with one and will try my very best to accomplish it. Reading this blog inspired me to have a one-year goal and planning out what I have to do to achieve such goals. For 2 consecutive years, I've been making "100 things to do for 200_". And for last year, I was able to accomplish 50% of it which is not bad at all. But still, it'll make you ask, how come I wasn't able to accomplish the other 50? Well, for some reasons, it is because I tend to NOT push myself when needed and I have this crazy attitude of sleeping things off. Literally, at times. I am aware that I have become so lazy that I tend to set aside a lot of things needed in my work, doing errands and achieving goals I've long set for myself. Yes, I believe being a sloth can cause such big personal rift and it affects your personal growth, gets in your way of wanting to be excellent in the work that you love and slows you down in achieving your dreams for yourself, your family and the people who needs you the most. It's getting way out of control so I am doing this 30 day thing. I just stumbled upon this blog and it actually contains a lot of good stuff. I am hoping to be able to follow some of those in the list (which requires me to do it daily) in the next 21 days, which they say creates a habit.

So I listed down goals/things to work on/things to do for 2011 below:

• Be on time.
• Wake up early everyday.
• Stop procrastinating in everything.
• Lose weight. I weighed myself yesterday and I currently weigh 56 kg/120 lb.Have a regular form of exercise.
• Track down all my expenses.
• Spend time with family when in Cebu.
• Go on mission trip with the family.
• Keep in touch with old friends. Greet them in their birthdays (which I suddenly stopped doing even if you see it in Facebook. Dunno why. I'm weird like that.)
• Meet new people.
• Write more often.
• Read a lot of books.
• Travel more. (CamSur, Bantayan Is, Cebu, Bohol, Puerto Galera, Iloilo, Boracay, Australia)
• Increase traffic of GK1world. Hits will be 250,000 at the end of the year. Registrants will increase.
• Have a regular prayer time.
• Learn a lot about online marketing.
• Find other source of income online.
• Laugh, hug, smile more often.
• Be more grateful.
• Take lots of photos.
• Pay all debts.
• Increase sales of human heart nature.
• Crush out 10 things-to-do in my bucket list.
• Minimize drinking sodas.
• Be a more positive person.
• Be organized.
• Stop complaining.
• Deliver best performance at work ever.  I want to be excellent, for God and country, for our GK communities.
• Take up a class in dancing. I miss!
• Drink more water.
• Stay away from junk foods.
• Learn from every struggle and trial.
• Take time out to rest.
• Be open to surprises.
• Adjust to changes.
• Live and enjoy life to fullest! And love in wild abandon! :)

Major, Major 2010

2010 is the best year of my life. I wanted THAT to be the title of my first post for my year end review. But a very inspiring man thought and wrote about it earlier than I did so I make do with a lame one. See his exceptionally inspiring write-up here. But I promise you, THIS, will be a great post! Well, I'll try. So here it goes...

What makes YEAR 2010 the best one I've ever had in my 22 years of existence? What sets it apart? Well it had some highlights that beat the highlights of the rest of the 21. Know what I'm saying? Read on...(not in any particular order)

1. Turning 18. My sister turned 18 last year and so did the rest of her barkadas. Her highschool barkada had become one of mine since I've spent almost every other weekend with them since they all got involved in GK and YFC. I've seen them grow and bloom for more than 3 years now and I can't imagine my sister's life, and my family's too, without them. So I was present in every one of them, well except when I moved here in Manila for work last April. 

Lynlyn's bestfriend, Totot, turned 18 last January at Crown Regency.

My sister, Princess Lynlyn (in pink), turned 18 last February in VDR's Multipurpose Hall.

My sister's barkada in Deedee's 18th soiree in Waterfront, Lahug.

2. Finished college. And I finally did! Nightmares totally over! Woohoo! I hated that I have to wake up feeling uninspired and uneasy just because school days meant facing scary professors and difficult course subjects. But knowing that I need a diploma to pursue the path I want to take, I don't really have much choice but to keep on going. And having smart and witty thesis mates and batch mates makes school more bearable. It pushed me to fight the urge to just give up and skip classes more often. Teehee. I will never forget the feeling of hearing that I passed all my subjects and finished our incredibly cool thesis which is one of the major, major requirements to walk through that long aisle of our school gym for graduation. See our thesis story here.

With my thesis mates Mayang, Knyl, Me, Twinkle and Jorge  in our thesis defense get-up.

With my supportive parents during my graduation day.

 3. Working full time for GK. My life long dream. True story. When others dream of becoming an engineer, or a doctor or a celebrity, I dreamed of being able to touch and inspire people in a massive way, thus my choice and life long commitment. It was not really difficult for me and I thank God for supportive parents who never asked me for anything in exchange of the years that they took care of me, showered me with love and provided me with good education. I was blessed that I was given the free will to choose the path that I want to take. A path less traveled but I truly love and I know I would be able to give my best. Read about my adventures in the first few months of working for GK which brought me to Subic, Camarines Sur, Tarlac and Laguna.

Our Subic Adventure. Water and Rescue Training.

Our Laguna Adventure. Turning over of new GK homes and ended up that day trekking and riding rafts alternately.

Our CamSur Adventure. We ended up walking the 3 km run. Haha Long story.

 4. The Moving Out. This I have to do after I chose my GK path because I'll be assigned in the main office which is in Mandaluyong. It wasn't difficult than I thought it should be. I just have to keep reminding myself that I'll have long Christmas vacations to be reunited with the family again. The urgency of the work and the "biglaang" decision pulled me out from the comforts of family, friends and the familiar environment of Cebu which allowed me to grow as a person and as a Christian. I am grateful to my GK family for being always there to guide and watch over me as I dock on a new chapter of my life. And not to mention my roommates and my teammates/office mates. Thank you y'all!

My roomies, ate Melai, Joyce and Ate May.

Team GK Marketing (where I belong) and GK Partnerships Group.

5. Ultimate Family Time. I am super happy that in a span of one year, I was able to visit my Mama's hometown, which is in Iloilo, and Papa's, in Bohol, again. Haven't been able to visit Iloilo that much since we moved in Cebu 9 years ago. Our cancelled Palawan trip turned out to be a blessing in disguise (but at that time, I wanted to swim all the way to Puerto Princesa just to attend the Bayani Challenge). I miss living in my grandparents' farm and doing farm chores like feeding the chickens and ducks, sending the carabao and goats to their grazing area, climbing on our siniguelas, mango and santol trees to name a few. So ecstatic to see my Nanay Estelita in Iloilo after almost two years! We also just recently spent our Holidays in Bohol which made us spend time with the Balatayos, see my Nanay Odag whom I miss the most and reconnect with nature.

With Nanay Estelita, my mother's mom, who I haven't seen for 2 years already. It's great to be reunited with the rest of the Laridas.

With Nanay Odag, my father's mom, which we never fail to visit every year since Bohol is a P150.00 boat ride away from Cebu.

6. GK's 7th Anniversary! The culmination of the GK777 campaign last 10/10/10 which gathered about 60,000 people from across the globe. Happy 7th GK! I am very proud to be part of such inspiring movement!

7. Faith Journey. I am officially a member of SFC. Yes, I finally am. Thank you Kuya Fredney for the invitation and for SFC Makati for taking me in and allowing me to grow and deepen my faith slowly, but surely.

...those are the major, major reasons why 2010 will be majorly special and the best. But I wouldn't mind if 2011 could beat that! 2010 has allowed me to grow as I adapt and adjust in the many changes that happened and that will continue to happen. But I am grateful for everyday that I am able to say "thank you" to our Maker for sharing every waking and sleeping moment with me, for just abundantly blessing me. 2010 held lots of surprises, new learnings, many firsts, and a dozen adventures. A year of forgiveness and moving on. A year of taking a leap of faith, making sacrifices and making bold decisions. A year of conquering my fears and pursuing after a dream. A year of creating new and keeping the old relationships beating: meeting new people, having a new family away from home, being in touch with those who drifted apart, and keeping in touch with those who are miles away. Indeed, it was a year full of love, inspiration, hope and faith. And the greatest of all of these is...LOVE.