From The Heart to The World, BIDA: Be The Change!

Last weekend was the deadliest, most tiring, and equally fun weekend of my life so far. I was recommended by the Cultural Arts Office Director to be a facilitator at the CEAP Bidahan youth camp, with two other officers from the same office. I was iffy at first, thinking that it would be such a hassle, with thesis and the term nearing its end. But I met new people who are now good friends of mine; that alone takes away all the worries and doubts. I also gained so much experience in facilitating a large group of people with a vast set of unique personalities, as well as in dealing with different kinds of situations. I still have so much to say! But I'm still tired from those two days, so here I am, reporting that I am still alive after all the mental, physical, and emotional chaos I went through last week.

Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP)

BIDA: Be the Change (Bidahan) 2010 Youth Camp

November 27-28, 2010 | Assumption Antipolo

From the heart to the world, BIDA: Be The Change!

Earth keepers, ethical leaders! Ate Misyel Avelino pep talks all facilitators at the Faci HQ, aka Bat Cave!

Facilitators from DLSU (CAO, SLIFE, DO, LSPO) with Sir Lysander and Sir Jupiter!

The fusion of crazy facilitators that is DLSU and CSB! The oldies couldn't handle us. Hehehe.

More photos!

Butterfly Twin Popsies with my newly-found cousin, Margie!

Ever so kulit duo from LSPO, Nino and Chase!

Co-facilitator Aya and I with the brains of Bidahan, Mr. Rene Salvador San Andres!

Thanks to Geom (in blue) for bringing us to untouched girls' room with a shower head!

Okay, so on my way to the wash room to brush my teeth... Let's just say there were so many interruptions that led me to this... The most dyahe fan photo that Paolo Santos will ever have. Haha. He was cool about it anyway!

On to the next day...

I have to admit. I like sleeping on the floor but I hate waking up to find that I was on the floor all night. My back, hips, and joints won't stop screaming at me. But at least I was wearing the panda socks that Joh gave me. Hihi.

The trio just can't stop bonding. Haha.

Forcing a smile despite the extreme exhaustion.

Time to go home!

Slack No More!

I am a student. I am an artist. I am a leader. In all, I am a student-artist-leader.

Being a student isn't much of a choice, when I look at it now. I have to get quality education to be able to achieve at least the practical things in life, with convenience. Being an artist... Well, I'm not the conventional artist you have in mind; not even the one I had in my mind! Being part of a media and production organization under the office that advocates culture and arts made me an artist in my own terms. As William Ernest Henley wrote in Invictus: "I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul." Whether or not my student organization decided that I was leader material after all, I am a leader in more ways than one. In the end, they did decide that I could lead; so lead, I do try.

Given all those, I should at least be at my best always. Don't get me wrong, I try.

It frustrates me that I only realized how a slack I've become (thesis-wise) after my thesis group got approved on the first reading. Sure, it was all overwhelming at first. The happiness was like drugs, I tell you; not that I do drugs at all, haha! Anyway, the happiness, I think it sent useless fumes to my brain and told me to hold off everything about thesis. Time wasn't wasted at all anyway when I focused on my only class for the term. That went well, too, so it's all good. It's just so frustrating that we had a three-week (or so?) head start for research and all that paper stuff!

Now that the storm's gone (literally; goodbye, Juan and Katring), everything seems to be calming down. Things are falling into place, one by one, the way it always does! I just hope I don't let opportunity slip away again. Like what David said this afternoon: "When the opportunity's there, you just have to get it!"

So farewell, slacker vibes! Leave me be! Come to me, productivity!

On Being Hopeful

I am back from total internet hiatus. Last week was intense! April 20-21 and 23-24 was Cultural Arts Office Executive Board 2010-2011 Leadership Training and Teambuilding Seminar. CAO LTTS, for easier reference. Haha. It's my second year to participate in such activity, only that I'm elected President now, and last year, Vice President for Externals. Now, the only reason that I divulged such terms on this entry, because I normally would prefer to be vague, is that I feel more hopeful of what this incoming school year could bring.

I am more in touch of bigger responsibilities, or so I think. Or would it be more apt if I said, I have the biggest responsibility? Hmm. As GMG alumni and funny man Jino del Mundo said to me some time in March, I think it went like this:

Congrats, Cee! You're the mommy of the group now. You're first in line when the shit hits the fan. Good luck!

It may sound snide or sarcastic. But it doesn't sound as bad, really, especially when you know him. It's actually a great advice because it would always remind me of the responsibility at hand. ANYWAY.

We had this commitment sharing on the last day of the teambuilding seminar. We were to create an artwork reflecting our commitment as officers of the organization. We came up with this:
It's an impression of our workplace, the Teresa Yuchengco Auditorium, or TYA, as we fondly call it. It is shaped into a sphere to represent the world. Contrary to popular belief that the TYA is GMG's world, I strongly oppose this statement because I believe that it's not enough. To those who know me as me, I'm all for change and non-conforming. Not that I plan to deviate from the norm but I think that I, together with my co-officers, can make a significant change. In the same way that we do our best to create a beauty in the success of shows we produce on stage, maybe it's time that we carry out these endeavors in creating a better world, by saying instead: The world is our stage. Deep, yes. Long way to go, yes. But it's a start! ;)

I have high hopes for this year. :)

[Both photos courtesy of Meryl. Thanks, sis. :)]

On Sleep

Sleeping never took a lot of effort, you know. It never should! Effort surfaces only in times of non-exhaustion; those times that you direly need to get those forty winks but you just can't seem to do it without much force. But basically it's because you don't need sleep, and everyone needs it.

This week should have been sleep-until-2PM-and-wake-up-only-to-realize-I-could-sleep-some-more-so-I-do-just-that kind of days because summer vacation (supposedly) has started as soon as my last final exam ended. However, this week has never been so tedious because I lacked sleep due to various reasons: Monday night was Movie Club Mondays; Tuesday night was Cultural Arts Office's different group's executive boards' ack, too much possessives! leadership training and teambuilding seminar (CAO EB LTTS) day one and it was exhausting, but I needed to cram our Operational Plan for the incoming year, so yeah, late night yet again; Tonight, I really planned to sleep early, like, right after I do some stuff online. Stuff includes checking my freshly-uploaded grades for the third term. No comment, more later. Must saturate.

So today, I was a walking, talking, less-than-functioning zombie. Four hours isn't enough rest. Right this moment, as I type, I feel like I'm asleep, but I'm not, but then again I'm supposed to be. And yes, I shall do so in a few. But here, just to make up for all the sense that this entry has spared:

Thanks to Meryl for the photo of me and the AY 2010-2011 Cultural Arts Office Operations Manual! Yeah, mein. My EB batch is gonna do wonders. We'll be great! Let's go, I believe! :)