Kanlungan: A 2013 Priority

 

Last Saturday, I finally attended the Kanlungan bible study. (This was my something new for Week # 8 of The Adventure Project!) It’s just a simple Sunday School set up where we teach less fortunate kids songs, play games, share Bible stories and really just spend time with them. You know, make them happy and stuff.

Instantly, I knew that it was something I wanted to make time for and invest myself in. The kids were adorable – as they always are – which made it impossible for that visit to be the last. No way.

So many ideas entered my head while watching them: fundraisers, workshops, sports fests, talent fests… there are a billion and one ways to help them. When I think of the Sunshine Club and how successful my tita was at making a difference in their lives, my heart tightens with excitement because I know that it’s doable and the same can be done at Kanlungan.

It’s my dream to start something like that.

For my 19^th birthday, I’ll do it again for sure like last year but, I wish I didn’t have to wait for every birthday to make an event like that for kids. With all that being said, naturally, the next step would be… to commit to this ministry.

And so, I shall!

 

My brother, Timo, playing with one of the kids.

 

Some college friends came along!

 

Hopefully, this year will be good for them. As childish as it may sound, I still wanna change the world. But hey, big things start small, right? Hopefully, I’ll be able to make a difference – one Saturday at a time.

 (Reblog from: http://www.karapangilinan.blogspot.com)

Hello, Blogspot!

http://karapangilinan.blogspot.com/

I’ve been thinking about transferring to Blogspot for a really long time now and today, I finally decided to do so. Not that it matters. But, do follow my new blog, pleeease! It will make me a very happy kid. Hohoho.

My first real post there was about Gretchen Rubin’s best seller, The Happiness Project.

You should all get a copy of it!

That’s all. Have a great day!

 

Greetings From Hokkaido

So, my dream of seeing snow finally came true the other day when we arrived at Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan! This is my first time to blog from my iTouch so please forgive any typo or whatever error. I just wanted to share that this trip has been such a blessing. Every minute makes me even more in love with this beautiful country, and I haven’t even seen the capital.

Coming here only assured me of how much I want to see the world. Everything else seems secondary. (Okay, I’m at a high and not thinking rationally. Of course I don’t really mean EVERYTHING.)

Although it’s around -7 degrees over here and I’m totally freezing, it’s great to just walk around and see beautiful things you’ve never seen before. Different trees, cars, buildings… and people! Everyone here is so beautiful! For the first time in my life, I want to dress up and look cool with my winter porma and all. Haha!

That’s my sister and I walking in the Sapporo Underground Walkway… which is genius, by the way. I wish the Philippines came up with something like that.

(And figured out a fool proof way to keep it clean. Haha!)

Anyway, I’m currently at the hotel lounge. Time to get back and enjoy this beautiful city while I can.

I have no idea how I’m ever gonna go back to school mode after this!

Sayonara and good night, world!

Day 23 – Your Favorite Book

This one’s quite tough, given the limited number of books I’ve actually read my entire life. As a kid, I was never a bookworm. I preferred writing ever since although, I do not understand how one can go without the other. Reading books made me sleepy so, I wouldn’t read. However, there are a few that have really made a mark. A few that I will remember for teaching me something or for making a significant contribution to the way I see things today.

As with millions of other people, one of my favorite books is Tuesdays with Morrie. It’s the first book I read from cover to cover and I’m ashamed to say that I was already in my second year in high school when I did that. Book reports were assigned every quarter starting third grade. I never finished any. But, I finished this one. And that’s gotta mean something.

 

Yes, I did join the bandwagon for this particular trend. My first trilogy: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. If you really analyze it, it’s horrible. Kids killing each other off to entertain the public? That’s crazy! But for some reason, I was super captivated and amazed by the world and the characters Suzanne Collins created. Makes you wanna “volunteer as tribute.”

What I’m currently reading, as I wrote a few blogs ago, is Nicolae. The third book of the Left Behind series. It’s one heck of a Christian – fiction book! Reading about the faith of the characters really makes me think about my own. Where do I stand when it comes to the scary stuff… like the Rapture, the Antichrist and Jesus coming back. My real life uncertainty is probably the reason I can’t put these books down. Whatever the case, I’m almost three books down and I’m loving it!

Goal is to finish Nicolae tonight. So, I gotta go!
Keep reading!

Day 22 – Something You Wish You Were Better At

I recently realized how much I need to work harder.

There’s so much room for improvement… everywhere.

So much, it’s quite discouraging.

But, I just wanna get better.

I wanna do better.

I wanna be better.

In school.

In church.

On stage.

At home.

With God.

With people.

In… life.

I just wanna be better.

Unfortunately, in order to achieve that, I’m gonna need to work harder.
And I really don’t like doing that.

Hopefully, I will anyway…

My Not So Free Time

One minute, I’m adjusting to this new year and suddenly, we’re on its second month. Wow! Consider this entry an end of the month… check up or something.

My final exams are coming up and I’m currently working on one too many long projects at the same time. With all the work I have to do, it’s ironic how I have so much free time. Maybe I was forced to come up with a super – stress – survival system, complete with daily, weekly and monthly check lists? Maybe my control – freak self exists and makes all those attempts at organization so that my real – life – beats – school self has time for everything she… or I wanna do? Or maybe, I’m tired and uninspired… and lazy? Bingo!

Whatever the case, I have a sort of love – hate relationship with my current schedule. It involves a lot of drawing, thinking, singing, video – editing, reading, jogging, charity work and –  strange as this may sound – snow. I’m enjoying a lot though. There are moments when I’m super stressing out over a project but, also other moments when I’m super into a book (can you believe it!?) Oh,  also involves a lot of free time I don’t know how to deal with. There’s a feeling of guilt every time I rest or do anything else of that sort, that has no relation to anything that’s required, or academic, or… you get my point. Meaning, yes, Guilt is screaming at me in my head right now. Says I gotta start working on some of the projects that are due at the end of the month.

(Hmmm. Guess this free time isn’t free after all. I’m gonna pay for it eventually.)

Well, anyway. On with the check up!

Here’s one of my highlights of the past month: I got my driver’s license! My photo is horrible but, that’s the least of my problems. Those eight long hours at the LTO were worth it. It’s a pretty great feeling but the next step is to earn the trust of my parents and convince them to allow me to drive on my own. Woohooooo! That’s one step closer to ultimate independence!

Now for another accomplishment under January…

I finished the book Left Behind and my gosh, it was a pretty good one. It’s categorized under Christian Fiction and that makes it extremely heart pounding and thought provoking. On my 2013 goals list, it says I have to read 5 books. Forgive me, I’m really not much of a reader. However, I might just increase that to, I don’t know, one book a month? Because suddenly, I think it’s possible! Since right after reading this one, I rushed right into starting the sequel!

Honestly, I was expecting the first book to have a solid ending. Little did I know that it was a series with more than 5 books, if I’m not mistaken! I was seriously annoyed… until I found the third book in my sister’s closet. I was actually about to skip the second book since, I was dying to know what would happen next.  Then, out of the blue, my brother told me he had just bought the second book. Such a great coincidence!

- – - – - – - – - – -

Today, I overslept. My dad dropped me off at 8:00… for my 7AM class and I entered to find that our professor didn’t show up. The only time I was late for his class was the only time he didn’t make it. I LOVE LIFE. After that, two other very draining classes followed. Over lunch, my blockmates and I were able to write a big part of the Filipino song we’re supposed to compose and make a music video for and after days and days of being stuck, that’s a lot to be grateful for. Unfortunately, the next few hours were spent totally confused and so tired from trying to, well, un-confuse myself, to absolutely no avail.

So, no.

I will not draw the floor plan and elevation and perspectives of the London Olympic Aquatic Center.
I will not force myself to finish the Filipino song.
I will not plan out the music video for it either.
I will not conceptualize my Police Precinct for Design class.
And I will not do my math homework.

Not tonight.

Tonight, I’m going to read The Tribulation Force until I fall asleep.
And I will try my very, very best not to feel guilty about it.

Day 20 – Somewhere You’d Love To Travel

trav·el/v/trvl: To go from one place to another, as on a trip; journey.

If I were a billionaire, I’d spend a whole lot of my money to travel the world.

I’ve always wanted to go on this amazing journey where I’d really learn through experience, meet  different kinds of people, see things I’ve never seen before and do things I’ve never done.

See, this is my problem. Every time I try to do my homework, there’s always something that reminds me that there’s so much more to life than just that. Then, I just get so excited and then, my homework suddenly seems so insignificant that I have to threaten myself to get it done. Punishments have proven to make me work… at least.

Anyway, there are a billion places I haven’t been to. That’s for sure.

So, about that journey…where do I start?

I don’t even know where I wanna go exactly.
I just wanna go.
And I will.
One day.

And it’s going to be life – changing.