BECAUSE I SAID I WOULD

BECAUSE I SAID I WOULD. Let this be the start of the promise for forever.

I was auspicious enough and my destiny allows me to have the chance to be one of the three hundred participants out of thousands who applied online to be a delegate of the very first International Youth Day Summit sponsored by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in partnership with AIESEC Philippines last August 21 at ADB Headquarters in Pasig City. I feel propitious also as I met new circle of buddies who undeniably shares a quantum level of great minds with the workshop we had. More than anything else, I was really moved with the narration and story of how simple people dream big and zealous enough to push thru a greater perspective for our Mother Land. Remarkably, we are all of humungous honor as the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year Efren Penaflorida who touch a great number of hearts all throughout the world with his “Kariton Klasrum” together with Kesz Valdez who was really a spur to all of us as he was awarded by his tender age of 13 as the 2012 International Children’s Peace Prize share the center stage of our summit to corroborate how simple they are but has a palpable evidence of success from small beginnings to big endings. Hearing their story makes me in goose bumps that inflicts a sparkling flame for beginning and never stop believing in everybody’s potential to be good and to do good.

DELEGATE. Yehey! I'm so lucky to be one of the delegates.

LIVING HERO. A shot with the 2009 CNN Hero Awardee and the soon to be shoot hero :D

Consequently, two young leaders also share how they care and desire to be part of bringing greater glory to Philippines. The One Million Lights Philippines project of Mark Lozano really create an unequivocal effect to the far flung areas of Virac, Catanduanes who were now enjoying a brighter night life with the solar energy light and so with the epic fail story of Arizza Nocum who never stop in dealing with all of her failures and looking behind what’s the message within to decipher it afterwards into the success she is aiming for not only for her KRIS Library but for humanity. Evidently, they are all living testament of how another speaker of us, Tony Abad from Ateneo de Manila University Law School, dares us to challenge the status quo. Over- all my experience with the summit was congenial and was life changing in a way with all the stories I’ve heard but the reason why I am writing about this is about the activity that we also did which is BECAUSE I SAID I WOULD.

I accidentally share this activity to my classmates upon my presentation in Teaching Profession which I see as a good technique for valuing (teachers and education students will get what I mean to say:)). Accidentally? Yes! Due to time constraint since the next class is about to use the room, instead of writing it on a yellow pad paper I made it as an assignment for them integrating technology as the tool for presenting their “because I said I would.” After almost a week of reading and waiting for their post on Facebook, I’m very happy with all the promises they’re making especially for their selves. In addition, a greater audience of people got hooked over their post sending a greater affirmation that this will all happen in perfect time. Upon reading their works, I become totally blank about my promise for myself. Until last night, after having a good tete-a-tete with my classmate, I already frame my mind and come up with one that really took me some time to contemplate first and ponder points whether I can make it or not. I really don’t have the plan anymore to post what’s mine but I feel it’s inequitable if I will not post mine since they exerted efforts to response with the call I made to them. So friends, I share to you with trembling knees and butterflies in my belly my-- because I said I would:

“I promise to talk with my blockmates whom I feel I intimidate them with my words and actions over the past few days and afterwards create an environment which is free from distress and adversity. I promise to make this until first week of September candidly and without equivocation because I said I would.”

Well, I have a high wish for me to fulfill this one with my cross fingers and all I can say: SO HELP ME GOD :-p. 

#YOLO

I just love to scream and shout -- YOLO!

Its been a long while since I last post a blog entry here and so after having a good sit back and juncture to tons of school works and paper works plus an additional item to my things-to-do checklist which I unequivocally cried on every Friday and Saturday because it’s laundry day, ardently welcome me by greeting YOLO! HAHAHA!

This YOLO has been part of my vocabulary and sometimes get on the brim of the glass as I do such and unassailably get hooked over it. This YOLO thing or should I loudly say it as the new “motto” for some of our teenage generation becomes on air every now and then in the cyberspace of social media specially to Twitter because of its meaning You Only Live Once or more universally known by YOLO. This matter got my interest to write about as my new entry for the new month of August because of my thesis buddy who talked about our block mate who’s in quandary of his educational status in school and zealously tell me that maybe the boy is in YOLO status which makes me to think for a second and laugh afterwards for a minute upon sharing her visionary mind to me in a very stony faced mode. Nonetheless, our concern is always with him but he never wanted to extend his hand to us as we reach out in him every now and then possible. With this entire attitude he’s showing to us, my thesis buddy’s conclusion makes me to seconded what she said and derives to a good conclusion also that yes, he’s always in YOLO mode. And my generated conclusion becomes substantial as I vis-à-vis witnessed how he divulge his self with e-cigarette smoking and an exchange of time schedule to classes in school for a drink out night session with some Walled City friends and buddy of him.

Our generation really becomes independent and concretely of its own as we dubbed YOLO. Certainly, we always wanted to be original and unique in the best way possible that will make a great buzz and trend to stretch all over the world. With the advent of the social media among the youth today, it is of no doubt how fast and influential it brought about to the lives of every youngster. Consequently, its influential effect does not always become a boon but instead becomes a great bane to people who don’t have a brain to think over matters that afterwards can cause a damage that will be of regret for a life time.  It’s good to be in of what’s new but to make the influential effect of social media as the barometer of how to live life right is just a sign of how we should be concern of the person’s synapses which is of emergency call to action. (Laugh)

From the very famous 90’s TGIF to the 21^st century LOL, now the YOLO is on its bright line to be trending and be part of every teenager’s life. This YOLO lexicon is actually not a new buzz anymore because it just evolves over the normal saying of many back then like: live life to the fullest or enjoy every second of your life. Of course who would not know of the very famous line in every literature class—“Carpe diem” which literally means “seize the day”. For sure, when you hear such words or even from other who shares such, there’s a sheer positivity that goes over your aura to make the most of the day with utmost dedication, passion and love. It happens that all of this particularly deals about living life on the best possible way as if no more perturbation on the things life is offering to us whether by fate or by destiny. You see, it just evolves over the sands of time but the same nuance it convey stretches into forever.

But having YOLO in the context of today’s generation is more than what the past is saying. It is now more inclined of really living only once and taking all the possible risk in life as much as it entails what others’ define as enjoying or relishing at their own pace. If we always taught of thinking the best way possible for our life, then YOLO is of the same track but the only exception is without having a second thought of the consequences it will bring up to the person whether in good or bad fate. I may be wrong to say that it’s a matter that was not generated over a critical mind but it’s true for me that it’s a matter that goes beyond the limitation set by any brains in the world. To be a risk taker is an optimum quality only few people has the guts and audacity to possess. Actually, in the field of leadership, it’s a trait that must be highly valued and uphold in order to arrive with a new concept worthy to emulate. Our generation of youth today seems to be highly spirited to become a risk taker but got a problem because most of us seem to overpower their confidence to take the risk and tend to switch a little bit of the right track causing a clear definition of how Carpe Diem turns into its modernity denominate as YOLO. My hope is just for good to have more leaders who’s ready to take the risk while taking into consideration a lot of factors and later on can do a little of YOLO. HAHAHA!

Having YOLO on my vocabulary reminds me the words of my thesis adviser who first share this philosophy of Epicureanism which I’m pretty sure you also got in over your literature class: Eat, Drink, and be Merry for Tomorrow we Die. This are words from the past but has born again over a long period of century to perfectly capture what YOLO really means today. When somebody post a tweet in twitter and at the end use the hash tag YOLO (#YOLO), expect that’s its gonna be about either eating, drinking, partying, or making naughty things which they are all fearless to commit such acts at their own frame of mind. I may not blame them for doing such acts especially when they think that life is too short to miss things that will make them carefree and beatific. Nevertheless, they are the master of their fate and captain of their soul to judge what’s good and right at their own pace. The only thing flawless that I know who perfectly execute and effectuate YOLO are those who bring back and forth missiles and bombs from Israel camp to Gaza camp or vice versa HAHAHA!