these make it all worthwhile

during college, i was part of gabay, a socially-oriented organization. we tutored grade 6 kids, & support some of them throughout high school. when i was in fourth year, we had a scholar named mark, who was a freshman in ateneo high. pa-graduate na siya this year! this was his letter, which we got through our egroup:

It has already been four years of great Atenean experience being a scholar of Gabay. Having a 100% tuition and fees financial aid, a monthly allowance and a chance to study in a very prestigious school, no doubt, one will get more motivated to deliver more than what is required. More than these things though, Gabay has given me this great opportunity to lay out the foundation for my future. This kind of opportunity rarely comes in our lives and I know by myself that this won’t simply be wasted.

When I was still in Grade six, entering the Ateneo wasn’t on my mind. I just thought of that idea as something impossible to happen, knowing that I wasn’t included in the list of three people who would take the entrance exam. I also thought that my parents wouldn’t send me to this very prestigious school because of financial incapability. But fortunately, Gabay opened up a door of opportunities. They helped me take the exam and they even prepared me for it. I remembered, we arranged all the files needed for the entrance exam only on the day of the deadline. That’s also the time a benefactor came up. Luckily, I passed the exam and the interview. Hopefully, through my efforts in studies, I have been able to demonstrate my greatest gratitude for the kindness and opportunities this organization has been giving me.

Two persons that took a big part on this achievement were Kuya IC, a Gabay member, and Ms. Marcia Gokongwei. Kuya IC was the one responsible for organizing my scholarship documents and files needed for the entrance exam. Also, because high school life in Ateneo is most certainly different from the simple and trouble-free life that I knew in grade school, he guided me and gave pieces of advice for some adjustments. On the other hand, Ms. Marcia Gokongwei is the one sustaining my monthly allowance since first year. She made it easier for my family and me because we don’t have to worry about my daily expenses in school. I believe that with the exclusive assistance of Kuya IC and Ms. Marcia, I was able to cope up the requirements needed during my four years in high school.

Gabay has always been very supportive of me and at the same time, very reliable. They have been providing me tutorial sessions since my first year. I was also given the privilege of entering the Gabay room where a lot of Ates and Kuyas would always help me and would always surround me with an air of encouragement and strength. The brotherhood and sisterhood I learned from this organization made me realized that helping out someone is one best way of expressing my gratitude to the blessings God has been providing me. I realized that Gabay has granted me these precious and valuable presents and there is really nothing more that I can ask for.

I believe that studying here in the Ateneo with the Gabay at my back has brought me in a relentless drive and determination of proving that I am worthy of receiving this honor of being a Gabay scholar. I am very thankful for being the recipient of Gabay scholarship. I’m also thankful for all the knowledge and advices that my Ates and Kuyas have always been providing me. I’m sure this organization will serve as a model to everyone and certainly, God will prolong this organization doing its whole-hearted and remarkable service so that many people will also get the same opportunities that have been granted to me.

Hopefully, if God will let me in the Ateneo College, undeniably, I will support this organization to the best of my capabilities and be very active so that I can help it become more beneficial than already it is. The exceptional help and provisions of this whole organization continue to encourage me to surpass all the struggles and uncertainties that come along my way of reaching my dreams. Thank you very much and God Bless you all and your families.

Sincerely Yours,
Joseph Mark H. Jimenez


kung matiyaga ka at binasa mo ito nang buo, maiintindihan mo kung bakit naluha ako dito. sobrang affirming. it reminded me that what we busied ourselves with in the organization really bore fruit. mas natuwa pa ako nung nalaman kong nakapasa si mark sa ateneo, BS ECE ang course. wow.

thank you Lord! : )

= = = = = = = = = =

last december 19, our company hosted a jollibee kiddie party for the kids of caritas manila. i was part of the team that organized it. according to ma'am kristine, there were two kids who really wanted to touch jollibee, but were too shy to do it along with the other kids. kaya huli na silang lumapit. here's their pic, taken by sir noli, our corporate affairs head:



pagod na pagod kami after the party, but things like this push all the weariness away.

so, kailan at saan ang sunod na outreach?! ; )

SOA EB get-together

ten million years ago (july 7, to be exact), my superfriends from the SOA EB had a get-together at pasto in the fort (first time ko sa fort!). sayang nga lang, kasi wala si mana.

with my bad luck, i got sick while we were having dinner. as in ang sama talaga ng pakiramdam ko, kaya hindi ako masyadong nakakain. i spent the first part of the night hunched over in my seat. i even threw up. nina & ginj had to go out to get me medicine.

but i felt better a bit later, buti na lang.

ang saya, kasi ang daming stories! i shared how i just had a career shift. one of us just left her current job to pursue film making. one is taking up medicine, another shared about how she met her current boyfriend in law school. one is thinking of taking up a master's degree in christian education, while another one is already working for a religious organization. lastly, one of us told an unbelievable-but-true love story. this prompted one of us to say, "nangyayari pala iyon sa totoong buhay! nag-iba ang world view ko!" : )

may joke nga pala si fred na bumenta talaga sa akin: xavier high school was allegedly trying to come up with a chinese name for their mascot, which is a stallion. suggestions are horse sy, giddy yap, & kaba yeo. haha!

anyway, here are the pics, courtesy of me & trina. sayang naman kung hindi ko ipo-post, maganda pa naman ako dito kahit na may sakit ako. haha!

ang mga kasabwat: ginger, janina, fred, me, nats, de-anne & trina.


while in pasto:















my sweet tooth called for dessert. so we got roma, an absolutely divine chocolate cake, & verona, which is basically a ref cake.





we left pasto at past 12. grabe! we were the customers who stayed the longest. afterwards, we decided to have a road trip. sayang, hindi pwede si nats at fred.









we ended up here:



starbucks tagaytay.




sayang, hindi kita si ginj.

i think we left starbucks at past 3. bago umalis ng parking, picture muna:









may nadaanan pa kaming fruit stands, kaya namili muna kami. would you believe that i got this many bananas for only 70 pesos?!



we went back to the fort, where the night started.



ginj went back to her car. janina drove me & de-anne (to katipunan) home. look how light the sky is when we got to the toll gate in alabang:



i got home at 5:40, tired & sleepy. pero okay lang!

sa uulitin, friends. (but let's make it quite soon, okay? not after 20 months!) ; )

friendster pics

isang gabi na wala akong magawa at hindi ako makatulog, tiningnan ko yung friendster accounts ng madlang people. ang saya! eto ang mga pics na nanakaw ko. hehe!

from aiza mae: a pic with the dwarfs, my high school barkada. bago pa ata ito magpasko.



from crystal: management trainees, on the day of our final revalida. january 31, 2006 ata. ang formal naming lahat!




from de-anne: pic with soa during the 2004 formsem at the house of ginger's relatives. marami sa amin, hindi pa naliligo. isa na ako dun.


from de-anne again: soa eb with sir redg plopinio, after the soa launch. up to now, i still find this pic cool. asa floor lang ang camera nito. : )



from gel: pics with the musheez, first year and second year ata.




from guiller: i don't even remember them taking a pic! gabay christmas party 2005 ito. i just dropped by with gel.



from john: embryo christmas party 2003, in a venetto along alabang-zapote road. typical embryo shot, sobrang gulo! : )



from kamille: a pic during her surprise birthday party last year, which bobby and je-anne organized. we were in batang's. maaga pa ito, kaya konti pa lang kami. later, more people came, which meant more drunks. hehe! actually, tinamaan din ako nito but i drank a lot of water so it passed. i was awake all throughout, til 1 or 2, i think. : )



from kacey, nel and ma'am maggie: HR in subic, camayan resort specifically. this was just last february, during our outing.




ang saya! pag wala ulit akong magawa, gagawin ko ulit ito. hopefully, there are new pics for me to grab. haha! : )

reminders

last friday, i had dinner at shakey's glorietta with a couple of friends from gabay - guiller, chi, bel, de-anne and nina. it was nice to see them after so long. it was even better that tonight reminded me of so many things and feelings that i haven't encountered in a long time:

...the feeling that i could just "chill" and be "me"
for a couple of months now, i've been so harrassed by things at work - by the volume of the vacancies that we have to fill, and the pace at which things have to be done. from start to end of each day, i have to be on my toes, lest i do something that will make the situation even worse. but tonight, i was able to let loose in a way. i was able to goof around with the people that i'm with, without fear or apprehension.

...the feeling that it's okay to make mistakes
it's okay, and it could be funny too. and it would not have an effect on my performance appraisal for this year, or on my career, in the long run.

...the feeling that the people i'm with know me
sometimes, they say that the small things are the ones that matter. being the OC girl that i am, the little things do account for much. it comes as no surprise then, that i like it when people remember the small things about me, that other people do not even notice. small things like how i can compute numbers in my head fast, and that i dab tissue on my food to lessen the grease. small things that make me feel that i'm really with people i can call "friends'.

...the inspiration i got from SOA
on the way home, nina and i rode the bus to alabang together. though we were an aisle apart, we were able to talk some more. we reminisced on our SOA times (she was the education formation pillar coordinator, while i was the executive officer). i told her of how SOA changed my perspective. while i was in the gabay, i felt that i was giving my all already, and that i was one of the most committed members of the org. SOA changed that, thankfully. through the example set by my co-officers, i saw that there was so much more that i can do, if only i will transcend what i thought were my limits.

...knowing where i'd want to be
while we were having coffee in gloria jeans, nina asked us where we would want to be in 20 years. i replied that i'd want to have a family by then, with two to three kids, and a husband (of course). i also said that i'd want to be teaching industrial psychology by then.


it was a wonderfully long night, that extended a few minutes into the morning. thanks guys, for granting one of my birthday wishes. now you know that you can ask me out, once in a while. ;)

missing soa...

SOA is an acronym for socially-oriented organizations of the ateneo. currently under it are 12 organizations. last year, i was the executive officer (EO) of the SOA Executive Board (EB).

last night, i got an email from bel (current SOA EO), asking how i dealt with non-performing EB members. while answering his question, a lot of things came rushing back, mostly about my 7 co-officers. how all of us were actually performers most of the time. how passionate we all were about what we were doing. how hard we tried to fulfill our responsibilities and help each other out, despite our heavy academic load (7 of us were seniors). how much fun we had, and how they serve as an inspiration to me, even now.

we haven't seen each other for some time now. i think the last time we saw each other was during may, as we helped the new EB in their formation seminar. that's why i miss all of them so much. i sometimes wonder if during our one year stint as SOA EB, i was able to let them know how much they meant to me, not just as workmates, but as friends too. sometimes, i don't think so. but they do mean a lot to me, and they do serve as an inspiration to me now. worthy of special mention are de-anne, mana, trina & ginger.

why? because i feel that they are truly living out the SOA and the ateneo vision. they are being persons for others in what they are doing now. both de-anne & mana are working in malacanang. ginger is a jesuit volunteer in samar, while trina is working for philippine business for social progress, an NGO. i often find myself wishing that i am with them too, or if not, i'm in the line of work that they are.

this is not to demean myself, nina and fred, because we are in the corporate world. nina is in glaxosmithkline, while fred is in sony life. i honestly believe that we can live out the SOA vision anywhere, even in the corporate world. in a way, it's actually more of a challenge for us to continue being SOA, as we are in institutions where the bottom line is profit. still, despite the happiness i feel right now, i can sense that something is missing.

i never imagined that a year of being part of the SOA EB could make such an impact on my life. in just a year, i met people whose passion in what they were doing made me feel ashamed of myself, and made me realize that contrary to my previous beliefs, i've got so much more to give. in just a year, a lot of the plans that i have made for myself are being replaced by plans that i'm weaving right now - plans that go beyond me, my family, and my future family in scope, but i believe are attainable nevertheless.

i miss SOA. in my mind and heart, i have resolved that i will never forget where i came from. i really pray that whatever happens, i would never doubt that i can do something to change the world.

The SOA EB after last year's SOA Awareness Day, with Sir Redg Plopinio of the Office of Student Activities. Clockwise from top right: Trina Yabut (Finance Officer), Sir Redg, Ginger Ramirez (President), Mana Domingo (Secretary-General), me, Fred Yang (External Affairs Pillar Coordinator), De-Anne Palapal (Community Building Pillar Coordinator), Janina Millan (Education Formation Pillar Coordinator), and Nats Llorente (former Organization Development Pillar Coordinator, current SOA President).