A Message of faith, hope & love.

Courtesy of Google images

Last November 8, 2013, the Philippines was struck by a super typhoon Yolanda (international name:Haiyan). It has a maximum 315km winds per hour. Visayas region was badly hit including the provinces of Leyte, Samar, Cebu, Roxas, Iloilo, and Bacolod.. The fatalities were at least 3,631 people. More than 500,000 were left homeless. As I'm writing this post, it's still counting! Buildings and Infrastructures were massively wiped out by the Storm surge. An estimated of 4 million  people were affected. Victims were in need of safety water, food, shelter, medicines, clothes etc. Scattered cadavers still awaiting for proper burial. While the affected areas will require a massive reconstruction and rehabilitation.

To say that it's a devastating moment is an understatement. It was just heartbreaking to know that the victims have been experiencing loss, grief, hunger, thirst, pain, trauma and more. Maybe you too have asked why this has happened? Some people say this was caused by climate change. Others have a conspiracy theory that it was actually man-made. It may or may not be true. I guess  no one could really give a definite answer. No one really knows but God.

Amidst this catastrophe, God is still in control. We may not understand why, but God is a good God! He will deliver us from any storms or calamities that may come our way. All we need to do is to believe and to trust in Him. In these trying times, instead of being fearful, let's all act and respond in faith! Lets pray for the typhoon victims and help them in any way so that we can extend to them God's message of faith, hope and love.


With that, here are the links of some Yolanda relief operations you can volunteer or donate to.

In the Philippines:

Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org.ph/
Gawad Kalinga: http://gk1world.com/typhoon-yolanda
Abs-cbn/sagip kapamilya: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/tulongph 
Victory: http://victory.org.ph/article/yolanda-relief/
Unicef: http://www.unicef.org/philippines/

Overseas:
                                                                                                     

www.help.ph.com

For mobile phone subscribers overseas

Sorsogon : A Place Like No Other

I've been blessed to travel different places locally and abroad but there's this one place that I would definitely go back to again and again. A place that I've been traveling to since I was a kid. A place full of my childhood memories. Located in the southeastern part of Bicol region, it takes 12 hours drive from Manila to get to this hidden paradise called Sorsogon. It's a long drive but thankfully, flights are available nowadays for shorter travel time. I'm used to travel by land though, it can be tiring but the scenery and stopover make the journey worthwhile.

Being at the tip of Bicol peninsula, Sorsogon is completely surrounded by water. Beaches are practically everywhere! In fact, my grandparents house was just across the beach coastline. Ah, I can caught a glimpse of the beach from the veranda of our house anytime. What a sight! Thus, the beaches in Sorsogon are what they called "virgin beaches" still raw and untouched.

Aside from the beach, there are also rivers and waterfalls. I remember there used to be a "non-stop shower" at the backside of our house, which flows through a "kawayan" (bamboo) connected to the falls situated in the mountains. Locals and even tourists frequently come by to make use of the water for taking baths or doing laundry for free. Ang saya libreng tubig! Also, the vast rice fields / farmlands, lush trees and beautiful mountain sprawls makes this place very idyllic. Very picturesque!

Another thing I  love about this place is the food. Masiramon!!! That means delicious in the local dialect. For those of you who don't know, Bicol is known for its spicy and gata or coconut milk based delicacies. I'm going to take this chance to brag that my family's recipes of Bicol express and Laing are the best in this side of Bicol. FTW!hehe Moreover, the staple food is anything seafoods! I'm in a food coma everytime I get to visit this place. Sarap kumain!!!

There's a lot to love about this place. The views. The food. The people. Climbing trees and mountains, swimming and frolicking in the beach, hanging out at the seawall, non-stop eating, and building relationships with loved ones were some of the good 'ol memories I have of this place. A place that is very close to my heart. A place like no other.

A Life Of Service

Service, we all have experienced that in life either we are giving or receiving them. At work, we give our service to the company because we are paid to do so. In restaurants, service crews will served us food because that's what we're paying them for and what their job requires them to do. I guess that's just how the world works. We give service because we get something out of it. But what if we are asked to serve for free? I don't know with you but I'll definitely say NO to that! Whuuuut??? Serving without pay??? Are you kidding me??? Hey, my time is precious y'know, I should be getting something in return! Those were the  thoughts that ran through my head when the church  I'm attending at had a series break about volunteering. I didn't sign up right away. Why would I? No way! It was not compulsory anyway so I'm free to do what I want.hehehe

Well, I must admit that the message of the series has a good intention so to speak. We all should live a life of service. A life for others. Wow! Good for those who can live up with that. That person must have a servant's heart! As for me? Na-ah!!! I'm cool with helping in my own little way but volunteering was just too much for me. I was really close minded about it. But then again, God has His own plans for me. He was patiently working in me, orchestrating circumstances and even people to help me see my selfishness and self-centeredness. Until finally it dawned on me that my life here on earth is not for my own satisfaction but it is actually loaned to me by my creator to serve it's purpose. That is to live a life of service to others.

P.S. I am currently a volunteer teacher at Kids ministry. It's a Sunday school for children. I'll blog more about it next time. :)

I've Found My Niche in Running!

I'm not really the sporty type but I considered myself a fitness enthusiast. I've tried various physical activities before like Badminton, Table Tennis, Arnis, Dancing, Belly Dancing, Weight lifting and Yoga. But none of these things kept me interested . Honestly, it's easy for me to start a physical activity but it is a challenge to keep and sustain it over a period of time. My interest easily fades if the activity turns out to be high maintenance or becomes boring. Things changed though when I started to run. I'd never thought that running could be something that I would enjoy. In fact, I had reservations then when my colleagues invited me to join fun runs. I thought it was boring. But I was wrong. Running was fun, sustainable, low maintenance, liberating and beneficial. Running is indeed a fun physical activity that can be done individually or with groups, where you only need a pair of shoes, comfortable running clothes and running area to get started. Thus, running is a whole body exercise that has many positive effects on our body, mind and spirit. Some of these benefits are as follows:

• Physical benefits. Running helps to burn calories, lose weight, strengthen muscles and bones, improves cardio and immune systems among others.
• Mental benefits. Running can reduce stress and anxiety. It can boost brain function and uplift the mood of people.
• Social Benefits. Running has inspired organization to gather people to support a certain cause. Fun runs and Marathons usually are organized to raise funds for a worthy cause. Aside from helping, people who join running events also connects with other people who share the same love for running.

Snippets of all the running events that I had joined so far.

I really wanted to be fit not only because I wanted to look good but also to live a healthy and longer life. To be able to do that it is important to have a particular exercise that really works for me. An exercise that will keep me interested and motivated. An activity that I enjoy so much, it will become a habit or lifestyle for me. And I can say that everything I'm looking for in a work out, I've found in running. I'm just so fortunate that I've found  my niche in running.