Today I was wanting to write about Thailand and how similar this land is to us. As my good friend and BKK travel partner puts it, it’s like our parallel universe. Their narrow roads are just like ours (Libertad, Pasay!) – minus the unruly drivers and honking cars. I must say they’ve gone ahead of us in terms of well-planned public transport systems.  Therefore Bangkok, even if it looks much like Manila – has tolerable traffic and courteous cab drivers. I like them.

Much ado about that. This morning I’m choosing not to rant about what we lack here in the Philippines and decided to focus on some Pinoy pride (good news at last!).

Our kababayan, Efren Penaflorida won CNN Hero of the Year! Yey! *dances* I’m doubly-proud because he hails from where we live, the province of Cavite. Watch the full video of his awarding here: Efren Peñaflorida wins CNN Hero of the Year 2009

Efren “Kuya Ef” Peñaflorida is a teacher and social worker in the Philippines. He has been named “CNN Hero of the Year” in 2009 for his outstanding advocacy to educate Filipino out-of-school youth through “pushcart classes. “Peñaflorida grew up in Cavite City. During his early days in school, he experienced being harassed and threatened by gangs near their school. Despite this, he still managed to finish his studies.

His growing concern for the unschooled children in his hometown led Peñaflorida to establish Dynamic Teen Company (DTC). At that time, he was only sixteen. He envisioned this organization as a tool to reach the underserved Filipino youth by providing free tutorials. He asked three fellow high school students to devote some of their time to teach children in the slum areas every Saturday.

After ten years, DTC has gained around 10,000 memberships and conducted tutorials for approximately 1,500 children.Today, DTC’s “pushcart classroom” also teaches basic reading and writing to street children.

It feels good to read about something we can be proud of as a Filipino. Now we know that anyone can be a hero – regardless if you have little or plenty, if you live in a third-world country or otherwise. There is a hero in each one of us waiting to be tapped for service.

I think we should be noticing these things more deliberately instead of some lousy Pacman scandal.

To see pictures of my Bangkok adventure, check out my Facebook account.

I know, I know. I’m never faithful to “Glorious Wednesdays” (perhaps I need more Filipino bloggers to blog about their Christian faith so this section gets more active – and on time. Heh!)

Anyway, I had this once-in-a-while talk with my dad over the weekend. Well, it is not a spectacularly big talk, but rather a topic we never spoke of when I was growing up. It is a shame to find out that when I was still studying in college, my parents would always discourage me from getting into a relationship since I’m still in school. Now that the time is right, they have no other goal whatsoever for me but to GET A BOYFRIEND A.S.A.P! Well, I do understand their concern since ladies my age are either getting engaged or getting married (while some are getting preggy too!).  Here’s some excerpt of the conversation:

Dad: Baket kase parating “busy” ang YM status mo? Pano ka magkaka boypren nyan?

Me: LOL. eh busy eh. Tsaka may shortage daw ng mga lalake ngayon

Dad: Huh? Hindi ah

Me: Or siguro marami namang lalake dyan, pero konti lang ang “quality” men.

Dad: Marami dyan, pero hindi nga lahat karapat-dapat. Totoo yan.

I don’t know if I should feel better for dad’s confirmation of my “limited quality men theory”, or I just have to feel depressed all together now. Hehe

So this takes me to a post by Bro. Jun Asis of MabutingBalita.net:

Men Should Pray

It is a delight to see men pray. Hulking, macho, baritone-voiced men putting their shields down to be one with the
Father. Strong, seasoned and firm leaders, hands clasped, eyes closed, kneeling.

Men have the special role, the primary task of praying for their community or family. Though every member should be praying for the group they belong to, it is the men who should be leading this charge.

It is a pity that women are more visible in churches. I enjoin you (if you are a husband) to take the lead to pray for your family alone, and with them. If you are a husband or woman, please pray for the men in your life to pray more.

-  (Adapted from the talk of Edwin S during our Men’s retreat)

• If only more men would take up the lead in relationships and spiritual direction of the family and community;
• if only more men would understand the special role God has entrusted them to take care of His flock;
• if only more men would desire for God’s plan instead of “my plan” (same goes for women I think);
• if only more men would choose girls like me (now, that’s just me flattering myself hehe!)
• And if only more men would pray…

… then maybe, just maybe… women will not be so much on the side of the disadvantaged.

I was surprised to read the title above as the first line of an article written by Francis Kong. He said that while most life coaches teach that one has to learn to love his work – this isn’t necessarily true. What you need to love is the opportunity.

Yes, it’s the opportunity to be productive and working.

Appreciate with a grateful heart the goal of your job – may it be building people’s houses, healthcare, promoting good products, or in my case: bringing people to check on websites. The opportunity to be working and earning is a blessing we often tend to forget because of the daily wear-and-tear of our job’s demands. For all we know, there are hundreds of Filipinos out there who would gladly exchange places with us. As they say, opportunity comes rare these times.

So does it mean we should give up our dreams?

Personally, I know I am still seeking for that one mission in life that I wish to be translated into w-o-r-k. Everybody wants her dream job, who doesn’t anyway? But just like every thing in life, no job is perfect. And if the ideal one exists, it doesn’t come easy (or instantly). But then again, I do believe to stop pursuing it would be utmost hopeless.

So just appreciate wherever you are. Be glad of the opportunity to be doing something today. Embrace the motivation to do your current job so well, that you will not stay on it for too long. Growth comes when you support it.

Go and find ways to do your job better. Get the inspiration to continue learning and acquiring new skills. Love the opportunity you have now, and be very blessed soon!

“Because when my work turns into a dead end, you help me find the way.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.”

iRead and iRecommend: PRO-Tips by Maloi Malibiran-Salumbides

Moderation = Mediocrity = Sin.

I have to admit that one of my favorite sins is what I call the sin of moderation.  We often hear this in liquor ads, “Drink Moderately”. And unfortunately, this  brand of moderation we also tend to apply in our spiritual life. For one, I do  rush in my prayers (justifying that at least I prayed). Or I come to the Sunday  mass with the homily almost done (well, at least I went to church).

How about the classic case of keeping a few ball pens, or some sheets of bond  paper to take home from the office? When we do it moderately, does that mean  it is actually alright? I believe that moderation in sinning simply brings forth a mediocre kind of faith also.

This kind of sin is often more difficult to abstain from as compared to hard core murder, for example.

But the Lord invites us to realize that these “shades of gray” between good and bad should not bring us to despair. God didn’t give us a terribly long list of rules  to follow – so that He can punish us whenever we fall into the sin of moderation. But Christ has blessed us with the Holy Spirit – who helps us discern the will of God for ourselves and for others.

Glorious Wednesdays welcomes the Voices of Young People in Ministry with their post on Shades of Gray:

If all we have are a list of rules, guidelines and a kind of “faith police” to implement such rules, then we will be following Christ out of a sheer sense of duty and fear of punishment and reprisal. But God promised to write the laws in our hearts. With the Holy Spirit, Jesus enables us to enjoy the light.

Even in the midst of the shades of grey of our faith and our lives, the light of Jesus’ shines through. Haven’t you noticed, the sunrise and the sunset can be breathtaking as they show the shades of grey and the interaction of light and darkness. Even in the sunrise, in the sunset and late at night, the sun shines on us. Shades of grey even make the presence of light brighter and sharper.

Blog Action Day: Support IT Jobs to Save the Environment

Blog Action Day – IT jobs are ever increasing in Asia as more and more foreign companies all over the world are looking into the potential of outsourcing to Asean countries. The proliferation of work opportunities for virtual assistants, web developers, web designers, content writers, and SEO specialists has given us a unique opportunity to help environment conservation. How is that?

Simple – we are moving towards a paperless world.

What’s up for someone like me to do?  I will do my part to:

1. Open more online job opportunities for the Filipinos, especially the new graduates. That can be in the form of freelance gigs, or educating them how to earn something from the Web.

Note:  This is why it is highly necessary that we train our students to love to read and write. English skills are greatly in demand now more than ever.

2. Help spark the spirit of entrepreneurship in all of us. Can you sell offline? Go house-to-house? Sure you can do it better when you do it online! Business is the way to go if we want to be self-sustaining or financially-free. Setting up our own at-home business also saves the planet from having more buildings, more carbon emissions, more paper to throw.

3. Spread the Green Consciousness – this I mean, using my access to the Internet to promote environmentalism. The Web is a great resource of environmental organizations to support. We have an online world in our disposal to be a medium of healthy discourse on saving the planet. I can see that there have been moves by world-wide groups working towards disaster preparedness. They have opted to use the Web to acquire funding and to disseminate information on where you can volunteer to save Earth.

On Global Warming: Hosting Servers made Green

IT companies can choose Green Website Hosting. The company I work with in Australia, has partnered with Digital Pacific – Australia’s ‘greenest’ hosting company. The organization reports carbon emissions from daily operations like maintenance of hosting servers, routers and air conditioners. Following each review you can purchase carbon credits to cover one hundred per cent of its estimated emissions. An equivalent amount is fed back into the electricity grid from wind or solar power, rather than non-sustainable means.

I found a good link. This applies to everyone. SEQL tells us of the 100 Ways to Save the Environment including how we can do our own contribution while in the office work place.

What can you do to save the environment on Blog Action Day?

Where Is The Real Storm?

Typhoon Ondoy came and went.

But the real storm is not out there.

The real storm is in your mind.

Do you believe that great things will happen to you?

Imagine a party balloon.

At first, it’s bright and fat and goes up to the ceiling.

But after a few days, it becomes deflated.

It stays on the floor.

We’re like balloons.

What keeps us up is hope.

But life happens, and everyday, we leak hope.

Especially when big trials come, we surely leak out a lot of hope.

And we’re deflated.

Here’s what you need to do: You need to refill your heart with hope.

So that you can rise up again.

Dispel the storms in your mind.

It may be stormy on the outside but it shouldn’t be stormy on the inside.

The only way to dispel the storms is to be grateful for what you have today and what will happen tomorrow.

God is redirecting you to something better.

Sit up straight. Out loud, say this declaration with me…

I’m strong in the Lord. I’m blessed. I’m forgiven. I’m protected. I’m redeemed. I’m equipped. I’m anointed. Healing flows in my body. New doors will open before me. I’ll meet the right people, the right opportunities, at the right time, at the right place. I’ll regain ten times what I lost…

In Jesus name!

Glorious Thursdays Wednesdays post coming from Bo Sanchez’ “Every Storm will End”

Create Your Badge

Follow Me & Glorious Wednesdays on Facebook

As co-inhabitants of planet earth, and as neighbors to one another – we are equally responsible for the future of the human race. Google took the initiative. The the first step towards this goal is by summing up the best, most brilliant ideas of our generation – Project 10^100. A compilation of ideas, proposals, and actions plans shared by you and me –  with the aim of effecting change in the world we live in.

Vote for your best bet – the idea which you think will have the greatest impact to everyone’s lives. Your vote for one of these ideas will help Google’s advisory board to choose up to 5 projects to fund, at which point they’ll launch an RFP process to identify the organization(s) that are best suited to implementing them.

As a Filipino, I am biased for the propositions that are most needed by my country – Disaster Preparedness (that we have lacked as proven by Ondoy), Good governance, and Micro-entrepreneurship. Check out my best bets below and vote, yes vote for a better tomorrow:

My top choices are in yellow fill.

I woke up this morning planning to blog about some quarter-life issue of mine. Until I opened my mail box and found an interesting link – Project 10^100. That was then I realized I’m not the only human being in this world going through life’s issues.  A million, billion earthlings are in the mercy of the hand of destruction. The planet is at high risk. And we have all taken a role in its slow death. If you want to make a difference, or at least owe the accountability – make your vote today.

Make CHANGE happen.

Because prayers are meant to be answered: I will be giving prizes here at  Glorious Wednesdays

As for the month of September, I had a difficult time picking the best  Wednesday post because all were worth-reading. However, I feel that I should  feature 1 last blog post specifically for the benefits of the Ondoy victims. For  that, I commend Fr. Jun-G of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). They are doing  God’s work by being active in the Simbahang Lingkod Bayan

Let’s hear it from the “Passionista” with his post “Tatak Pilipino”. This is so in-  rhythm with my being a proud Pinoy. Now you know why I chose his post:

salamat o Diyos… salamat.

mamaya… bukas… sa susunod… masasaksihan ko naman ang bagyong magbibigay ng hindi hapis… kundi kagalakan sa puso.

pagkakaisa. pagtutulungan. pagmamahalan.

ito ay tatak PILIPINO.

That is the authentic Filipino Bayanihan spirit coming alive amidst the storm! When you think about it though you may ask yourself, does it have to take an Ondoy before we help our brothers and sisters in need? I’m just peaceful to know that in times like this though, we can count on the Filipino

I did not forget about your prize Fr. Jun-G hehe… but it comes in the form of a donation under your name – yep, to be given to your dedicated ministry: Simbahang Linkod ng Bayan. Hope you like the prize hehe! Gcash coming in a while (romela de leon)

Congratulations Fr. Jun-G, SJ.

To the winner, and to all the bloggers who wrote for September – Thank you for sharing your wonderful words on Glorious Wednesdays. Let’s carry on with the faith until next month

For those who want to donate via Gcash to SLB just type in:

DONATE_<Amount>_<4-digit pin>_SLB and send to 2882

Your help is needed most now.

After the disastrous storm “Ondoy” the online world has been flooded (not with water though, thank God) with information on rescue requests, volunteer groups, means of donation, and hotline numbers. Oh how many times have we twitted, and re-twitted these sort of information? Facebook has been handy too in spreading the word of h-e-l-p. I like how Miriam Quiambao does her thing, as well as Sen. Chiz’ timely and wise choices in tweeting requests for volunteers, rescue operations, etc.

Though most importantly, I honor our dear countrymen here and abroad. Those OFW’s despite their strife working in distant lands, gave away their hearts to donate. During these times, it makes me feel even more proud being a Filipino. Hearing this wacky radio DJ while in the bus, “Ano pa’t mga Pinoy tayo kung hindi naten kakayanin ‘to at magtutulungan.” At that moment it was like something in me said in reply, “oo nga naman!”

So with this I’d say let us not be mere spectators of the wrath of the typhoon. Let it be our aim not to end the day saying only our prayers, without putting that faith in action. Are we contented with just “kawawa naman”, or “palpak kase ang gobyerno!”? This isn’t the time for finger-pointing. Nobody wants this.

Today I share this video with you to knock on your hearts, and to assure the families of victims that God is greater than the storm.

“Father You are King over the flood.. I will be still, know You are God..”

If you want to help but can’t get off your computer, try Team Internet at philippineaid.com

Check Miriam Quiambao’s comprehensive compilation of how you can help in many, many ways.

Help our fellow country men in need – and tell me why you are proud being Pinoy

Heaven is neither America nor China. Heaven is where one finds not only the means to survive but the very meaning of survival and life.

That is from our famous running-priest Fr. Robert Reyes. I wish the CBCP would take him in now to say homilies. He’s a good and effective priest, I believe.

Today in our Glorious Wednesday post, I am featuring his blog about “Heaven  and Home”. I often talk with my IT friends about leaving the country to work in  greener pastures. But there seems to be a nagging desire to just keep our feet  here in the Philippines. Who knows, we could be losing our jobs if we go abroad  since most web-based jobs are being outsourced here in Asian countries like the  Philippines and India. Apart from that concern, the country is home to our  family and friends – the comfort zone that we know. Sure life is difficult here, but  survival is more meaningful because you are being called to share to those in  need (which are a big chunk of our population).

Anyway, here is one favorite part from Fr. Robert’s post on “Heaven and Home” written at Parokya on the Web:

When I was in China I pined for the motherland. The feeling of being a foreigner, an outsider, intensifies this longing. While I lived and worked in China, my inner eyes seemed to look further, beyond what my physical eyes saw. In fact, during the many times I prayed and closed my eyes, I did not see heaven. I saw what was around and within me. Heaven can be an escape, an alienating thought that allows us to avoid responsibility for our lives. Thus Jesus tells Nicodemus, “No one has ever gone up to heaven except the one who came from heaven, the Son of Man.” Here, Jesus reminds us to look hard at where we are and at how we live our lives where we are. Let us not waste our lives pining and wishing for what is not there and doing nothing more. For Jesus, heaven was always near. It was that moment of connection and union with His Father. It was also those many moments when He fulfilled His Father’s will where He was and with those around Him.

Dear Lord, teach us to find you not out there but right here where we live and work. Teach us the way Jesus lived, totally present and totally responsive. Teach us to live with faith and hope, without illusion, without desire to escape. Amen.