| A Million Miracles |
[08 Jan 2005|12:40pm] |
This is a letter forwarded to me by Minnie Fong, a student at Ateneo who wants to raise P1,000,000 for the tsunami victims, to be donated through the United Nations World Food Programme. Could it happen again? Do check it out.
--Pia Faustino
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Dear Friends,
You know that the Christmas season and its accompanying joy and cheer is coming when the months start ending with –ber’s. This year, however, the coming of the –ber months also brought with them a number of calamities. Locally, a string of typhoons hit the Bicol region and triggered a number of other calamities that killed thousands and left more homeless. More recently, an earthquake hit the coast of Indonesia, causing a huge tidal wave to engulf countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, Maldives, Africa, etc. Today, the death toll stands at a total of 139,394; the destruction was so bad that some countries have even stopped counting. While we may seem far from all the pain and destruction, I am compelled, as I see the various images and read the news about the aftermath of this calamity, to do something about it. The world as we know it changed on December 26, 2004, and we have to do something about it.
When typhoons Winnie and Yoyong hit our country, Ateneo set up Task Force Noah and collected donations from people to send to the badly hit provinces. Working as a volunteer for two days, it amazed me to see how hundreds of people—strangers—from all walks of life put aside their differences and worked together to help those in need. In the end, we were able to deliver more than 6,000 relief good packs as well as provide clothing for those in need. It was then that I realized how powerful the human spirit is. Hence, the birth of the project: A Million Miracles.
As the effects of the tsunami leave thousands hungry and homeless, I feel that the most basic need that has to be met right now is to have an ample supply of food and clean water. A Million Miracles’ goal is simple: to raise Php 1,000,000 (or almost US$18,000) and have this letter reach at least 1,000,000 people in 1 month. This money will then be forwarded to the United Nations’ World Food Programme, under the name of the project, so they can use the money for their different feeding programs for the tsunami victims. (For more information, you may refer to www.wfp.org)
You can help in a number of ways.
You can send in your pledges or inquiries to me through: amillionmiracles@gmail.com, or 0917-5183720 with the amount you wish to donate and when you plan to donate it.
Then you can give me the money personally or by depositing it in the bank account I have opened for A Million Miracles. (BPI FAMILY BANK ACCOUNT NO. 6856-0434-42). ** anonymous donors may deposit their donations directly to the bank account as well.
You can copy this letter and send it to everyone you know, who will hopefully, send it to other people and let the news spread.
If you would like to be updated every week on the status of the project, please leave complete contact information with your pledges so that I can keep you updated. Any amount you wish to donate will be greatly appreciated—from sacrificing your Php20 bag of chips to your Php100++ cup of Starbucks coffee, or giving up a part of your allowance or salary for the month; any amount will surely go a long way to achieving this dream.
Now, you may ask, what guarantee do you have that I am not just one of those con artists tugging at your heart’s strings? Although a resume and an NBI clearance may be available upon request, I guess all I ask from you right now is to have a little faith in a 20-year-old who wants to reach out to those who are in dire need of help.
While Php1,000,000 may seem like a lot right now, and raising that much money in just 1 month sounds even crazier, I am taking a leap of faith, and I pray that you will take that leap with me.
Sincerely,
Minnie L. Fong
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| Peace of mind for 2005. |
[04 Jan 2005|12:18am] |
Hi, everyone. It’s been a while.
I don’t want anyone to think that I’ve forgotten about the good deeds that I promised. So allow me to post here for public scrutiny a complete list of my Barcelona sponsors and the status of the good deeds they requested.
I’m happy to say that the majority have been completed, save a few which will remain at the top of my consciousness until they’re done. If for some reason I’ve missed something--if you requested a good deed but still haven’t heard from me about it--don’t hesitate to bombard me with angry e-mails, calls, or texts until I promptly get my ass on the move.
I'd like to try and explain why I've been so quiet lately. When the readership of this blog started to grow (though I think it has shrunk again since I’ve stopped posting), I started feeling pressured to write "inspiring" entries all the time. Of course, I had to live up to chicken-soup branding that seems to have been earned by “buythisdream.”
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get up on a soapbox and sound optimistic when in reality you’re feeling shaken. And that’s a little how I’ve been feeling the past few months—unsettled. A little black ball of self-doubt and insecurity has planted itself firmly in the pit of my stomach and it’s been one persistent, nasty little bugger. On good days I have managed to either ignore it or distract myself from it. But most of the time I’ve felt its weight. It has kept me out of step. Out of sync. And all I’ve been able to do is wobble reluctantly ahead.
Quite the opposite of how I was feeling just five months ago. I swear that I’ve never been as switched on as I was then. It’s amazing the blinding clarity that comes with wanting something really badly and knowing how to get it. I was so sure of myself that it didn’t matter what the doubtful had to say. I trusted that I’d be carried full-steam ahead in the right direction. In this state of mind, you tend to put a lot of faith even in the most dubious of hunches. And that’s what I did. I had a hunch and I ran with it.
But things fell flat, and I’ve been trying to regain my composure ever since. I’m not so much bothered by the fact that the silly Festival wasn’t as intense an experience as I thought it would be. I’ve accepted that I did have unrealistic expectations. I was looking for Eureka! only to learn that you can’t always take shortcuts--especially when trying to figure out out what vocation or passion to pursue in life. Sometimes you just have to wade through the mud until you hit gold. It takes time and patience and a willingness to screw up once in a while. There’s a reason it’s called a quarter-life crisis.
So that’s not what’s been bothering me. What I’ve had difficulty accepting is the fact that I promised myself and everyone else a return on investment, but did not quite deliver. I raised my own and everyone else's expectations, but in the end there was no rabbit in the hat. It was a blow to my confidence, made particularly humiliating by the fact that I’d dragged a bunch of friends and strangers along with me.
Thankfully, careful reflection over the past months has enabled me to come up with a few consoling thoughts:
One. I realize that most people gave me money not because they wanted me to work a miracle--but simply for the sake of helping me out. What mattered most was that I got to Barcelona, and not what I did there. In fact, the most sponsors just told me to have fun in Barcelona, and didn’t even ask for any good deed. They seemed to just want to be part of the adventure. The adventure of wanting something and going for it.
Two. When I confided to a friend of mine that I felt bad for nor showing some kind of results from my Europe trip, he replied: “I’m 27 years old and only now am I seeing the ‘concrete results’ of my education and work experience. You’re only 21! Slow down. You have time. One day you’ll get what you’re looking for.” After getting this advice, I felt a lot better and even a little silly for taking myself so seriously. On one hand, it’s good to have high aspirations. On the other hand, it’s also important to keep yourself grounded with a sense of humor and humility.
I also wish that I could have better sustained the momentum of goodwill that had raged so strongly before I left for Spain. I’ve been trying to think of a way to continue engaging the community that had formed around this blog. I was thinking of organizing another get-together of all those people who donated—the network of dreamers, if you will—so they could talk and share ideas. But after that, I wouldn’t know how to keep things up.
Well, I’m not the only source of ideas around here. If you can think of something, please let yourself be heard.
If there is one thing that I’m grateful for, it is the fact that “buythisdream”, which started out as just another “what if?” in my head, turned out to become something more than I’d ever hoped it would be. It bloomed into a story with a life of its own, a story from which I will continue to draw insight for a very long time.
Thanks, everyone. I really don’t know how I can thank you enough. I just hope that somehow, “buythisdream” was as much an adventure for you as it was for me. If somehow you found it worth a second look; if it made you feel inspired, interested, or amused; if it challenged you to think or rethink your assumptions; if it stirred conversation among you and your friends; then I’d say it was all worthwhile.
I’m just happy to have somehow engaged people in something different.
Cheers.
---
( Thanks to all the sponsors! )
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[17 Jul 2004|10:44pm] |
Updated ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) buythisdream with some good deeds I accomplished today! Yep, three new good deeds have been done. Keep your requests coming!
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[16 Jul 2004|03:16am] |
The journey is the destination.
--
Friends! I will be in Katipunan this afternoon (today is July 16 and it is now 9:30am), so if anyone is in the area and would like to meet up with me, then please proceed to the Ateneo SEC-B Lobby between 4 and 5 p.m.!
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[15 Jul 2004|01:14pm] |
From now on, all updates about "Will you buy my dream?" will now be posted at buythisdream!
I've already posted there a copy of my Curriculum Vitae, to address the concerns of those who understandably want to know who the hell I am before giving their support.
I will also be regularly updating about the good deeds I've already accomplished. The first one requested by Charlene Owen is already up!
It also seems that people are having difficulty thinking up good deeds for me to do. Therefore I've started working on a Good Deed Menu that will be up really soon.
Once again, for those who are interested... please visit/friend buythisdream!
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| Will I fall flat on my face? Or... |
[14 Jul 2004|11:36pm] |
WILL YOU BUY THIS DREAM?
"From August 8 to 14, 2004, Barcelona will host the 3rd World Youth Festival with the participation of 10,000 young people from around the world. The World Youth Festival is the only event completely designed by and for youth organizations from all over the world. A committed, assertive, innovative, critical and constructive space that is founded on democracy, laicity, plurality, equality and respect. The Festival is a unique opportunity for regional youth platforms and organizations from all over the world to share ideas and projects. This year's themes will be cultural diversity, globalization, sustainable development, and conditions for peace..."
--Taken from the official website of the World Youth Festival 2004.
Attending this event has become my obsession ever since I heard about it a month ago. I want to go. I WANT to go. I MUST go. I'm not sure why, or how, but I know I must be there. With my heart and soul, I know it.
So for the past month I have been working closely with a friend (who until recently was similarly obsessed with going) to raise funds for our airfare and registration. We approached several sources-- foundations, corporations, government offices, individuals, even the airlines themselves. Unfortunately, we could not get support. It was always too late, too much, too risky, too small, too silly...
My friend has already given up on the idea. But the more I run away from this dream, the more it runs after me! Now I feel more determined than ever to make it happen. It's really weird and wonderful and frightening at the same time.
So here is the situation. I need to raise $1000 or P60,000 to cover roundtrip airfare and registration fee before July 30. That is in roughly two weeks.
I'll still approach a few more foundations for help. But at best they will probably only give partial subsidy. My last hope is thus to find individuals who are free and willing to take a leap of faith with me. Individuals who are willing to believe, as I do, that there is something wonderful waiting for us in Barcelona--a lesson or experience that I can bring home and actually use for something good!
Now, my friend Alexis and I did some math and discovered that if just 100 people gave P300 each, then that would equal P30,000—half the money needed! And if 200 people helped out, that would raise the full P60,000! Now how do I get at least 100 people to help me out?
I don't want dole-outs. If people are going to help me, then I want to give something back. I want them to believe that their support is worthwhile, no matter what. I also want to challenge them to do more than just reach in their pockets.
So here is my proposal to you all. To my friends, and their friends. To the public. To all those people who believe in crazy, stupid ideas dreamed up by crazy, stupid people!
If you donate P300 to help me get to Barcelona, then I will, in exchange, perform ANY GOOD DEED OF YOUR CHOICE. Any good deed that YOU believe to be worth P300!
Yes, friends, I am serious! ANY good deed as long as…
1. It is an action that you believe makes the world, our country, or our community a better place for all.
2. It is reasonable, or within my power to do.
3. I can accomplish it within a single day.
4. I won't need (much) money to do it.
5. It does not violate any laws or rights.
So there you have it! Any service, favor, or action that falls within these limits, and that YOU believe to be worth P300-- I will do it! Just name your prize! I’ll bike across EDSA! I'll plant a tree! I’ll give my mother a hug! I’ll smile at 10 strangers! I’ll visit sick patients at a local hospital!
My goal here is to raise at least P30,000 by July 30, and hopefully more. Now, naturally, you must have some concerns. Let me try to address each one:
----
YOUR POSSIBLE CONCERNS:
( How can I be sure that you're really going to do the good deeds? )
( If by July 30 you still don't have P30,000, will happen to the money you do get? )
( I'm willing to take you up on this! What do I do now? )
( How do I give you my donation? )
----
So there. That is my offer, and my dream. To perform at least 100 favors for 100 friends of faith! Hopefully more...
In the meantime, here goes nothing....
or everything...
What will it take?
Will you buy this dream???
---
EDIT, July 22 2004: For updates, please visit buythisdream. I have been posting about the good deeds I have accomplished, the pledges that have been coming in, as well as new insights and thoughts I have had about this experience. Also posted there is a more detailed explanation of exactly WHY I want to attend the World Youth Festival, along with my curriculum vitae. Skeptics and doubters, please view this and this. They will hopefully quell your suspicions that this dream of mine is selfish or petty. Thanks.
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| For Sale: Camelbak HydroBak Pak |
[11 Jul 2004|03:41pm] |
Hi, friends! I'm selling my 1.5-L Camelbak HydroBak Pak for P1,500 (regular retail is around US $30). For those who love going on long rides or hikes but don't like lugging around big jugs of water, you might be interested in this! Anyway, it's practically brand new-- I've only used it twice in the two months that I've owned it. I'm only selling it because I don't go on long hikes or rides very often.
Here are the specs:
CamelBak HydroBak® Pack
Avoid dehydration when hiking far from civilization with cold drinking water conveniently stored in a comfortable ergonomic pack. The easy fill, easy clean Omega™ reservoir holds up to 1.5 liters of water. The compact footprint and shorter length allows a relaxed fit on smaller torsos. And they are fully insulated to keep liquid cool for hours. A secure five-point Bungee Cinch System™ holds extra clothing.
Measures: 13" x 7.5" x 1".
Color: Blue.
Interested parties can leave a comment, text me at 09205149947, or e-mail me at piafaustino@hotmail.com. Thanks!
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| The worker firefly flies to China. |
[08 Jun 2004|01:48am] |
Tomorrow I leave for Beijing to attend the Asia Europe Youth Forum on Culture and Environment. I shall therefore spend the next ten days as a lean-mean networking machine, information sponge, and trigger-happy member of the Canon Club. Yay.
Oh, and yesterday I got a job. I think. The Firefly Brigade recently got a $5000 grant from the U.S. to start up an office, and I think they hired me as their first ever paid staff member. I say "I think" because the application process was so ridiculously simple that I can hardly believe it happened. Great timing, though. Batanes clean cleared me out, and I was just thinking on the plane home that I should, yes, probably find work already. So yay again.
These past few weeks have been like Christmas. At the same time I get the feeling that there's a catch. Like I'm shopping on credit. And racking up debts-- to the world. I wonder what the world wants from me.
See you guys after June 16!
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[04 Jun 2004|03:24pm] |
These pictures aren't even enough to show how great this trip was. I would love to write it all down, moment for moment, detail for detail, but I'm too overwhelmed. Everything is just swimming around in my soul like something luminous and fragile. I'm high.
Once I come down, then my brain will start working again.
In the meantime...
( Third Installment )
Please do also check out http://www.lovine.com/pics/batanes! Lovine was good enough to write captions under each picture, so at least you get an idea of what we actually did there. Good job, Lovine!
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[22 May 2004|12:03pm] |
I am supposed to be in Batanes!
But I'm not!
I am still here!
Why am I still here???
Behold. A comedy of errors.
Original date of departure was Monday, almost a week ago. But two of our companions had errands to run so we waited till Wednesday.
But on Wednesday, Typhoon Dindo had other plans. So we changed ours.
Thursday night looked promising. I was already packed, and literally about to head out the door, when my dad calls me from work and tells me about a new storm heading north. He freaked, I pouted, iamlovine left without me, and I pouted some more.
Taunted by Lovine's text-i-monials of Batanes' beauty, I pulled some strings and managed to get 6 a.m. flight with Asian Spirit to Basco for this morning. At 4 a.m. I lugged my big yellow backpack to the Domestic Terminal, checked in, waited at the departure area. Had a cup of coffee. Read a book.
And learned, an hour after original time of departure, that the flight was cancelled because of bad weather.
Crushed, but not broken, I rebooked for the later flight at 11 a.m. Checked out my luggage. Went home and watched Changing Lanes on Cinemax. Returned to the airport at 10:30. Checked my luggage back in. Waited in the departure area. Had a cup of coffee. Read a book.
And learned that the flight was cancelled, again, because of continuing bad weather.
I have rebooked once more for tomorrow morning's flight, but at this rate nothing is guaranteed.
Monday will be my last ditch effort.
I'm pulling my hair out!
Batanes or fucking bust!
*&%@!!!!
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| Livejournal Salad! |
[13 May 2004|01:21am] |
I have a photogenic veranda.
Night and day shots of the veranda outside my third-floor bedroom. I think these pictures turned out well, so now you must look at them.
 
* * *
Self-improvement.
What's good (or bad) about having an online journal is that it gives you a kind of third-person view of yourself.
I have no sense of humor these days. Most things either frustrate or annoy me. I don't like it. I need to have some mindless, ridiculous, self-destructive fun. I haven't been drunk in a while. Smoking up doesn't count because it just makes me think more, and I already think too much. Maybe I should get drunk. Maybe I should get drunk in public. Yeah. And shave my head. Or someone else's. That always seems to make guys feel better. Maybe it'd work on me.
I have a pesky recurring messianic complex--which is just another way to be a control freak. I don't where it comes from, but it wears me out sometimes. Enough of that.
I'm a dork.
* * *
Hair.
I think I want to grow my hair out again. Having short hair and glasses makes me look too much like my kid brother, when I just graduated from college. Too bad hair doesn't grow any faster, and I am too cheap to buy myself a new pair of contact lenses since the last one met its death in my kitchen sink.
This was an entirely vain and irrelevant piece of information I just wrote. It is a waste of digital space, but I will leave it there anyway.
* * *
Resurrection.
I've reestablished contact with some childhood friends from Virginia, just as I had wished a few months back. Apparently one of my old schoolmates, Cameron, who is now studying at the University of Virginia, was bored one day and suddenly wondered whatever happened to that girl in his English class who moved to the Philippines years ago. So he googled my name, and an article about my jewelry-making came up with my e-mail address. He contacted me, and when I contacted him back, he put me in touch with even more old friends.
It's nice that there's still a sense of friendship, despite the years and miles apart. And we are genuinely happy to be in touch again. It's just funny, because we haven't seen each other in so long that we don't know where to begin catching up.
"Hey! So, how are you?"
"I'm good! How are you?"
"Great!"
"That's great!"
"..."
"..."
"Wow, it's so cool to talk to you again."
"Yeah that was great, let's do it again soon."
I hope I get to visit Virginia again one of these days. I really miss the place.
* * *
Videos.
Are there any video hosts out there? Like Photobucket but for videos.
* * *
Goodbye.
Puerto Galera from Friday to Sunday, then straight to Batanes, Sagada, and back home. I'm an efficient summer vacationer.
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| Celluloid dreams. |
[10 May 2004|03:52pm] |
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Oh, Orson Welles, Orson Welles, you bastard. You clever fucking bastard.
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[10 May 2004|12:07am] |
President: Bro. Eddie Villanueva
Vice President: Hermie Aquino
Senators:
1. Alvarez, Heherson
2. Chavez, Frank
3. Cayetano, Pia
4. Gatmaytan, Nicanor Jr.
5. Gordon, Richard
6. Hussin, Parouk S.
7. Joson, Eduard Nonato N.
8. Mauricio, Melanio Jr. L.
9. Sonza, Jay
10. Yasay, Perfecto
11. ?
12. ?
Governor: ?
Vice Governor: ?
Mayor: ?
Councillors: ?
---
I really regret focusing too much on the presidential elections these past few months, and not nearly enough on the senatorial or local elections. Apparently the media has committed the same sin. I have just spent the last seven hours madly combing the Internet for information about non-presidential candidates, and have come up with almost squat. I've tried to make do with whatever information I could scrounge up, but I still feel a little confused, overwhelmed, and not totally confident about my choices.
Not only is there a lack of information about the non-presidential candidates, but the little information that is available is almost useless. Most candidate profiles are just bare-bones shopping lists of schools attended, awards received, work experience, organizations joined. What crap. Gimme the goods. I want to know a candidate's leadership strengths and weaknesses, his political affiliations, what he has at stake if he wins or loses. I want to read analyses of candidates' profiles written by people who know far more than I do about politics and governance. Pero wala.
This voting business is giving me a headache, and I supposedly have an education. Imagine how much harder voting must be for the average Pinoy-- who doesn't speak English (Bakit walang mga plataporma na nakasulat sa Filipino?), doesn't have Internet access, and already has to work hard enough to just feed himself and his family everyday!
Well. Lessons learned. Apply in six years.
Practice makes perfect. And perfection takes time.
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| I hope this isn't too late! |
[09 May 2004|05:35pm] |
A FREE service to help you get ready this election --- PLDT in cooperation with PART (Professionals Actively Responding Today) and Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan has embarked on an innovative approach to election education by maximizing telecommunications technology and making information accessible to Filipinos across all social classes.
The GABAY HALALAN 10-1-49 aims to enlighten the voting public about the election, entertain questions and provide information such as the following:
* How to vote-what to bring, where to go(precint), voting times, etc
* Candidates' profiles and platforms
* How to volunteer for the elections
* Party-list information
* Local elections information
* Where they can get election materials
* Election News
* Etc.
Simply dial 10149 on any PLDT landline and a call center agent will attend to all your election-related inquiries.
This is a nationwide service and will be operational from May 1 to 10, from 9am to 9pm daily.
Do your share in election education by forwarding this to your friends.
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[08 May 2004|12:50am] |
Yesterday I took a hot bubble bath. The last time I took an actual bath (not shower, but a real bath), I was seven years old and still short enough to lie down in the tub without my feet dangling off the edge.
It was still fun this time around, dangling feet and all. I didn't have bubble bath mix, so I took the complimentary shampoo from the bathroom counter and poured it into the tub as the faucet was running, right in the spot where the water hits water to ensure maximum bubble-age.
It never turns out as nicely in real life as it does on TV or in the movies though. You know the scene---the cute girl in the porcelain bathtub, reading or listening to her discman or talking on the cordless phone (aren't the last two activities dangerous to do while submerged in water?), as a layer of bubbles, thick and stiff like meringue clouds, conveniently obscures any and all R-rated or even PG-13 parts that lurk beneath the water. Alas, I had to settle for measly real-world bubbles and lock the door.
I tried to make a little snow man with my real-world bubbles, but he kept melting before I even got to the second mound. Then I tried putting the bubbles in my hand and blowing them away, as if I were blowing kisses, but they wouldn't fly. So I settled for sinking into the water and gathering those bubbles around my chin and chest, ala Santa-Clause-the-Burly-Sailor.
I sat around in that tub till my fingers got wrinkly.
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[04 May 2004|03:56pm] |
Would you say that voting, in itself, without considering how educated or uneducated your vote may be, is a waste of time?
I wouldn't, but some people would.
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| Batanes! |
[03 May 2004|06:25pm] |
If you're interested in seeing the real thing and more, join us from May 17 to 24!
We need at least 8 people in order to avail of this travel package to Batanes from PlanetNomad. So far we are three: iamlovine, broken_whisker, and myself. I'm talking to one other person, but he has yet to confirm. So we still need five more people.
Here's the deal. From Manila we'll go to Sagada, where we'll hang out for maybe one day and one night. Then we'll head up to Tuguegarao in Cagayan from where we will take a plane to Basco, Batanes. We'll stay in Batanes for four days and three nights, then fly to Laoag in Ilocos Sur. From there we will go to Pagudpod, where we will stay for maybe one day and one night. Then we head back home to Manila.
While Pagudpod and Sagada will kind of be side-trips, the main leg of the tour and the part that's included in Planet Nomad's tour package will be Batanes. Batanes will cost P11,000 per pax, inclusive of airfare but excluding food.
---
( Batanes Itinerary )
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If you wanna join us just for Batanes, but not Sagada and Pagudpod, that can be cool. As long as you're willing to travel up to Tueguarao and from Laoag on your own.
If you're interested, please contact me ASAP because I have to confirm with PlanetNomad soon! Just post your cell number or e-mail and I'll get in touch with you.
This is gonna rock!
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