my firsts for this year

this year has been filled with so many firsts. as i remember them one by one, i could not help but reminisce the experience and the memories embedded in each.

TRAVEL. this year alone, i was able to travel nine times, the most in a year. two out-of-the-coutry trips and seven domestic job-related ones! whew! i was able to go to europe for the first time! paris in france, rome and naples in italy, the vatican, brussles in belgium, and frankfurt and koeln in germany. the experience was by far the best. it was also my first time to travel out of the country alone! also my first time to try backpacking! galing! my other foreign trip was my first time in japan. was able to go and roam the streets of tokyo and ibaraki.

my job-related trips saw myself walk the streets of mindanao. my work brought me to places where i never even thought id reach. it was a sight to behold. simplicity was all over the place. you'll realize that the few resources that you have is actually an abundance there. mindanao is not barren at all! it offers so many things and has sometihng that will make you think of coming back again.

my travel experiences were both grand and humbling. grand because it was really grand! europe was a place i have always dreamed of reaching but never really thought i would. the architectures were grand, the people were grand, their development was grand, the abundance was grand...the prices were grand as well!! japan was needless to say, a technological grandeur! a hub! both places have i guess the grandest train systems. i dont know, but the experience was just grand! ENGRANDE! humbling because not so many of us filipinos can really afford going to the places where ive been. humbling because my trips to the different provinces in mindanao made me appreciate the things that i have.

but really, the best part of it all was the people that i met and have become my friends! the people and not just the places have made my trips both grand and humbling.

MISSION. this year, last may in particular, i celebrated my first year doing volunteer services in the "bahay san rafael" - an orphanage of kids with cerebral palsy. it is run (an apostolate) by the religious brothers of st. john of god, a religious organization where a close friend serves as a formator.

i first thought of it as something that i should keep private and secret and only be discussed to a few selected close friends. but a friend told me that while my intention was good, it also becomes a selfish act. she said that others may want to help out and i might actually take it out from them. so here i am also publishing this and telling you guys that yes, i may look devious sometimes (notwithstanding the smile, hehehe!) but i do enjoy helping and reaching out!

volunteering in the HOME brings my sanity back in place! six working days, friends coming and calling for consultation, school stuffs, rehearsals, and so many other activities! but really everytime i visit johnny, dino, edwin, manny, mar-mar, kring-kring, kim, jay-jay, and my baby louie, i come to appreciate my life fully and forget about all my problems and my anxieties in life. being there is no handy task and was never a joke, but being there comes with responsibility and most of the time physical challenge, but when i come home and rest and retire for the day, i know that even as i sleep ill have that smile on my face that nobody, not even myself, will ever explain. that's the beauty of it all, and that's one of the principles that i hold firm...that i can and should help people and create an impact in their lives (however small or unrecognized) without them knowing it and without me having to expect something in return.

PERFORMING. last october, serviamus (where i sing tenor) held a concert. it was our first time to do such an endeavor. it was a fun experience. our singing prowess unleashed. our friendship tested and refined by the activity. although there were some hassles, i think we pulled it off!

just last week, my nephew was married and i was invited to host and sing. my first as well! again so many firsts in a single event. my first to do it in front of my relatives and my first to sing in the reception. the song "hanggang" was well applauded. it was just great! just like a friend (sp) always tell me - my time to shine!

WRITING. through the blog, it was my first time in so many years to attempt to resurrect my passion for writing, which apart from singing and meeting people, had been a true and honest passion! my writing had been shelved right after my stint with the american chamber of commerce where i worked as a project and research coordinator and writer, and although it was briefly lived when i wrote a couple of articles for thomson (my third job) where we had a quarterly web-based journal. i guess i really have to do this regulary...i feel giddy and weeded! if things will go into full circle, then i might end up working and at the same time doing his passion...its already coming!

WORK. this is the first time in years that i have both thought and actually have done something towards reaching my professional goals. my love for what i am doing right now is half felt everyday. it gave (and still gives) me challenges that sometimes run through my spine, which i like best! however, my heart really belongs to doing something else. something that what im doing right now would not be able to give me. my passion for writing and research had been halted bec my work now invloves one system analysis to another. what did i do? i finally stopped whining and submitted my resume! hahaha! go go go!

MY OPINION. our firsts will surely not be the last. either chance makes it happen for us or we really put our mind and heart to it and make it happen again. but our very fists will teach us and mold us to become better - so the next time we encounter or be in the same situation as before, we'll know what to do next or know how to do it better.