give love!

why don't you give love not only on christmas day, but instead, everyday?!



maybe it comes with the cold air, i don't know, but don't you find that people are generally nicer, more positive, and more generous during christmas time? =p baka less init ulo kasi less din ang init ng panahon. hehe.

for whatever reason, okay na din na mas masasaya ang mga tao pag papalapit na ang december! we looove making those we love happy during christmas time, and i know a lot of people who want to make our less fortunate brothers and sisters happy as well, but just do not know how to go about it.

on charity work, let me tell you this: you don't have to be rich to help others. oo, talagang mas madaling makatulong kapag maraming biyaya sa buhay.. pero kung hindi ka "mayaman" o "maimpluwensiya" o "makapangyarihan", di naman ibig sabihin nun na hindi ka na maaaring makatulong.

a lot of people have asked me on this blog how difficult, or how easy, it is to plan any form of helping others, and really, it is easy. here are a few suggestions if you'd like.

1. feed the kids! kung nakasakay kayo sa sarili ninyong kotse papuntang school o opisina, o kahit carpool sa kaibigan, pwede kayong magdala ng mga pack ng crackers na pwedeng ibigay sa streetkids. hindi talaga ako naniniwala sa pagbigay ng barya sa mga bata (if you've watched films like "bunso", you will know why..) pero kung bigyan sila ng kakanin, at sana ang healthy na kakanin, nabusog pa natin sila!

2. feed more kids! kung kayo naman ng barkada o pamilya ninyo ay may isang umaga o hapon na libre kayong lahat, pwede kayong maghanda ng sandwich, na kahit keso o spread lang na palaman, ang dami dami niyo nang mapapasaya! pwede kayong magpunta sa isang distressed area at dun mamigay ng sandwich, o pwede rin kayong pumuwesto malapit sa isang busy intersection dahil maraming nakatambay na streetkids dun. masaya pa kasi madami kayong namimigay, at madami kayong nabibigyan!

3. old reading materials? sa lahat ng mga may tinagong mga libro o notebook from their high school or college days, na hindi niyo na kailangan? ay! naku! napakadaming matutulungan niyan! pumunta sa public school malapit sa inyo, o kung may kakilala kayo dun, better. kung may makausap kayong teacher or professor, matutulungan kayo na ma-distribute ang libro sa tamang edad ng mga bata.

4. reading! kung kayo ng barkada ninyo o pamilya ay may kakilala sa isang depressed area, o kung may kakilala kayo sa inyong church na nagsu-sunday school, pwede kayong mag-volunteer na mag-storytelling sa mga bata. don't forget to point out the moral lesson of the story! di din kailangan material thing ang ibigay diba, minsan, kahit oras mo lang ang ibigay mo, napakalaking bagay na yun.

5. volunteer! busy talaga kapag pasko ang mga grupo tulad ng gawad kalinga dahil marami ang gusto mag-volunteer para makatulong. mabuti yun! everything is on the internet now, so if there is a group you would like to help, madali lang hanapin yun sa yahoo or sa google. kung nahihiya kayo, mag-imbita kayo ng kaibigan para samahan kayo. that way, you also have someone to share your experience with.

6. pay it forward. madami din akong kilalang barkada, na imbis na magbigayan ng regalo tuwing pasko, kung anuman ang dapat igagastos nila para pambili ng regalo sa isa't isa, ay igagastos na lang nila sa pamimigay ng mga pagkain, school materials, o damit sa ibang tao. sa totoo lang, diba sa iba nating mga kaibigan, pareho lang ang binibigay natin bawat pasko, at bihira lang naman din nila ginagamit ang binigay natin. kung makapagbigay tayo sa ibang tao, na hindi kasingpalad natin sa buhay, ang laki ng saya na maibibigay natin diba?

and the list can go on and on!

diba graaabe ang sayang naibibigay kapag nakapagpasaya ka ng ibang tao? yung talagang kita mo yung kislap sa mata nila at kita mo ang laki ng ngiti nila? wala talaga sa laki ng halagang binigay ang halaga ng pagbigay sa kapwa. giving love is all about just that, the love that we give. whether limang piso yan o isang libong piso, kapag galing sa puso at talagang intensyon mo na magpasaya at makapag-inspire sa kapwa, yun talaga ang mahalaga.

happy love-giving this christmas!

being in our 20s, in the middle of the so-called “quarter life crisis”, my friends and i always find ourselves meeting up for dinner for what we would like to call “life talks”. from getting married and having kids, to working and moving abroad, to career moves, investment plans, our next big getaway, giving back to the community, to faith, hope, love.. yep, that’s a whole lot of “life talks” for me and my friends this year.

life talks part one: on purpose.

my friend rina made sure that i understood.. “remember, every single person in the world has a different thumbprint. there are no two people alike, at all, in the whole world! GoD has a reason for doing that! because each and every one of us has our unique purpose in the world.”

how amazing is that?? it sounds sooo simple, but if you think about it, totoo!!

i remember how our philosophy professor in college told us, “you are everyone you meet in your life”. i so believe in that. every single person we meet in our life is a part of us. whether they were someone we shared our life with, they influenced us in a good way, they hurt us and made us learn a valuable lesson, they were mean and so we vowed not to be mean like them, whether the person wore something we liked, smiled and warmed our heart, made us laugh, or cry, all that, is part of us. and so how can any two people possibly be identical?

imagine. all of us have a unique contribution to the world precisely because of the unique person that we are. we may have our insecurities and shortcomings, but given that, we still have our strengths and good works that we can use to contribute to our family, circle of friends, community, country.

we may not be as goodlooking, rich, educated, famous, influential as other people, but in our less goodlooking, less rich, less educated, less famous, and less influential self, we can touch people’s lives, make a difference in our own little way, and love others big time. that, no one, as in no one, can ever take away from us.

so if you ever feel down.. if you ever feel like you have no purpose in the world.. if you ever feel like asking “will anybody care if i’m gone?” just remember that we are all made uniquely, and whatever effect we've had on the people we love, on the people around us, and on the world, is our effect alone that no one else can replace. we are irreplaceable.

i still don’t know what exactly GoD’s purpose for me is, i’ve felt down, i’ve felt neglected.. after i had this life talk, i told myself that when the low moments hit me, i will remind myself to look at the pattern on my thumb, and take comfort in the fact that i am the only being in the world that has that mark, to make my mark.

like i said in a post a few months back, to begin with, aspiring filmmaker ako. :)
ito ang isa sa mga pinaka-miss ko sa college.. paggawa ng short.
sana matuwa kayo sa panonood, as much as natuwa kami sa paggawa!


thanks bob for making public viewing possible!