One Shirt. One Plate.

In ADNU, I have a group of friends where people would often refer to us as LIGAYA. I blogged about LIGAYA in 2011, the same year that our group was formed. I can never forget that day when we strolled along the quiet corridors of Ateneo, taking pictures of people piling up plastic bottles, volunteers gathering inside the Christ the King Church and the solemnity at the roof deck of the Entrepreneurship Building (I was still working for the DAVPO then). Then the five us suddenly became LIGAYA.

What was really overwhelming was that some members of the ADNU community would address us as if we were like a package deal. Like if a department/office needs volunteers, LIGAYA would be enlisted, to the point that some people thought that the commitment of one member of LIGAYA is considered a group commitment. Of course, we also had rough times, we would have dissenting opinions on matters but what really bonded us was our respect for each other's differences.

Early 2012, LIGAYA thought of coming up with a program to support the FEED A SCHOLAR program of the College Admission and Aid Office. We initially agreed to sell shirts and have a portion of our sales donated to the Feed A Scholar program but we were never able to move on with our plans. Our plan remained as an idea. However, during the 3rd quarter of this year, our desire to support the program was finally realized. The group regularly met and had to finalize every detail, from the name, to the design up to the division of functions.

NOW, I am so proud to share that BLUE GENES DESIGNS was officially launched yesterday, August 28, 2012. We came up with two shirt designs in time for the Penafrancia celebration. We were also able to finalize our program entitled ONE SHIRT. ONE PLATE which means that for every shirt that you buy from us, you are already donating one meal to one scholar.  We really hope that this program will expand in due time so that we could also try to extend our assistance to the HS scholars.

Mishaps & Fortune

I know that they usually associate the month of August with drought, financially. According to my mom, while I was growing up, August is a month where there is lesser income in our business and it seemed like a month's salary is never enough for an ordinary employee. However, if that would be the case, then for some, it's like "August" every month. I guess some of you will agree.

August 2012 is an extreme month for me. It was this month that I receive three job offers from multi-national companies but I ended up declining all their offer. It rarely happened to me being offered the same job from different companies, all with enticing remuneration package. Yet, my heart was telling to say NO and say YES to my mom on her request for me to stay in Bicol.

August 18, 2012, our beloved ex-mayor died in a plane crash. DILG Secretary Jesse Manalastas Robredo, a good man and an exemplary public servant, had an accident while he was on his way home from Cebu to Naga City. He was trying to catch the awarding of his youngest daughter when the Cessna plane that he was on had engine failure. He was found 180 ft below sea and 800 meters from the shore. Yorme's body lies at the Archbishop's Palace now where a number of Naguenos would patiently wait for their turn to see the casket of their beloved 'Pogi'.

August 20, 2012. I almost lost my Blackberry Torch when a stranger tried to snatch the phone from my bag. Good thing an honest lady called my attention so I was able to run after the thief. I really thank the Lord for the two security guards who followed me and never left my side until the thief returned my BB.

August 22, 2012. Finally, Ligaya's dream is coming true. I can't share it yet but it's for a good cause. I will blog about it as soon as everything is final.

P.S. I am sorry if there is no coherence on my blog. I just need to share all these things before I forget them.

Dugong Atenista

The Ateneo de Naga University's Office of Student Affairs is currently having the Dugong Atenista today. The opening ceremony started at 8:00am and the blood letting will be until 5:00pm. This is open to everyone, both Ateneans and Ateneans by heart are welcome. Please visit the Xavier Hall booth if you're interested.

Ring Finger

According to tradition in some countries (derived from Roman belief), the wedding ring is worn on the left ring finger because the vein in the left ring finger, referred to as the vena amoris, was said to be directly connected to the heart, as a symbol of love.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_finger

Favors from God

Ever since I had been attending the Christian Church, I have been consistently receiving graces from the Lord. Everyday, from the moment I open my eyes and feel the rays of the sun touching my skin, I would thank the Lord for giving me another day to live, to be with my loved ones and to do things which will please Him. However, there are days when God would usually go out of His way to make ordinary days EXTREMELY extraordinary. Just like today.

Kuya Ryvin and I were supposed to meet up at the Good Shepherd Church to attend the 10:00am mass but something 'extraordinary' happened. I woke up at 8:00am and prepped up immediately. As soon as I was done washing my hair, the water just suddenly stopped flowing! I can't help but grin and be thankful that I woke up early today than usual. I left the house at 8:45am and I started looking for bus 960, unfortunately, I forgot to check where the bus station is. I just assumed when I checked the route in google maps that it will pick up the passengers at the Bukit Panjang Interchange (which is my normal experience by the way) but the bus number is not on the list. I tried asking the owner of the only Filipino store here in our area and she gladly directed me to the bus station. Again, a mistake, I forgot to ask which side of the road I should be on. To cut the story short, I went on the wrong lane and instead of going to Bugis, I ended up going to Kranji. The alloted travel time from our place to Bugis is about 45 minutes and since I wasted at least 20 minutes of the travel time just because I rode on the wrong lane, as expected, I was not able to attend the mass. 

When I got to Bugis, I informed Kuya Ryvin that I won't be joining him anymore since I have been trying to look for the Church but I can't seem to find it. I ended up having breakfast/lunch at McDonalds. I had to eat because I was too hungry that I felt like my world was moving on its own :)) 

I decided to have Filet-O-Fish and orange juice for my brunch. It was quite expensive though. This meal cost me around $7.00. Imagine how expensive this meal is :(

As soon as I finished my meal, I texted Kuya Ryvin that I will try to look for the church again. I passed by the National Library and SMU. When CHIMES caught my eye, I knew I was on the right track. Yes, I found my way to the church but the mass was about to end when I arrived. I decided to offer a simple prayer instead and since it was my first time in the Church, I offered a wish. 

Kuya Ryvin had lunch at McDonalds and we met this cute girl who kept on smiling at us. I called her 'Mutya, the Singapore version'. She is about 3-4 years old and her eyes would literally lighten up whenever she smiles. We waved goodbye when we left and she shyly smiled at us and immediately buried her pretty face in her mom's lap. Then, we started walking towards 'Bugis Divisoria'. There, we found these amazing souvenir items being sold at a very reasonable price (I won't mention the price here though). 

We bought 6 sets of these surprisingly nice key chains and I even got the magnets for free. This is the first international magnet that I'd put on refrigerator. Yes, I do collect fridge magnets because it reminds me of the happy memories of a particular trip. I am hoping to collect more :) Too bad, I forgot to buy magnets when we went to Malaysia.

Moving on, after our Bugis Divisoria trip, we went to Orchard to meet Uncle Greg. However, they had to go the the Philippine Embassy first to arrange ate's passport renewal and we had to wait for them until 3:00pm. We decided to take a stroll at Isetann since we wanted to check the movies at Shaw Theaters. Kuya Ryvin and I were debating if we should watch the movie given our limited budget. We were already queuing to purchase our movie tickets when some random guy with his friends approached us and asked if we are watching Spiderman. He was giving us tickets that we thought is being sold to us but eventually, it turned out that he was giving two tickets to us for free. We were really caught off guard that we forgot to thank Mr. Stranger. We were still high with the 'favor' when we bumped into them and eventually, it gave us the opportunity to thank them a number of times for their kindheartedness. It also turned out that the tickets include a free meal.  

Upon entering Lido 4, we were given a sweet-flavored regular popcorn and a pepsi bottle for our snacks. I can't help but grin because it was the flavor that I like and I was also kind of hungry that time and I was even thinking of buying snacks since we were already spared of the expense for the ticket. It was also a coincidence that we did not have to rush to the restroom since the theater has one. Yes! Lido 4 has its own restroom inside the theater. See how blessed we are? :)

After the movie, we met up with my uncle and we headed for Serangoon to purchase chocolates for his kids. We went to Value Dollar at Nex Mall to scout for the most affordable chocolates. We got the chocolates at a very affordable price. I just hope I won't go over the allowed 20kg baggage allowance.  

We bought enough chocolates for Uncle's kids and he gave me one pack of Mars and Snickers. Yes, I am intending of keeping it to myself :)) I might still change my mind though, I can always share these chocolates anyway. 

Later on, uncle brought us to Carl's JR for dinner. I somehow felt awkward choosing our meals because the cheapest meal there is about $6.00. Imagine converting it to peso, it would cost around p200 per person! I decided to order the cheapest meal for me and Kuya Ryvin but our bill still totaled to 45 SGD which is about p1,485. The good thing though is that the drinks are refillable but I doubt if one could still afford refilling his glass because the serving is really big! When our orders arrived, you could imagine the look on our face when we saw the burger. It was bigger than my palm! Look!

But since I was really, really hungry, I finished every piece of the burger :) You must be proud of me Tim! :) We stayed at the restaurant until 8:00pm. We talked and talked about our families, career and plans. We ended up with big bellies after consuming that crazy burger. Overall, I really had a great day and I thank the Lord for it, for the surprises and for the kindhearted stranger :)

Thank you, Singapore! :)