An Enchanted Last 3 Days – Entrep Weekend + Christmas Gift Giving

The last few days have been so tiring yet so surreal. The Entrep weekend is over. It seemed just like yesterday when the third quarter just started as we sat in the Multi purpose hall listening to a talk about social entrepreneurship yet here we are three days away from the start of Christmas break.

Writing a reflection paper during CLE a while ago about the third quarter Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm experience really made me pause for a moment and think about everything that has happened during this third quarter. It truly has been an amazing adventure like no other. I’ve learned so much this quarter especially during the last three days.

It’s mind blowing how much this third quarter has shaped my dreams and aspirations. The social entrepreneurship curriculum of this quarter has really inspired me to pursue my goals and dreams of becoming a social entrepreneur, starting my own business and creating an innovative product that will forever change the world.

Duck Delights — Our business Produck that I will forever be passionate about 🙂 This is where it all starts!

No Such Thing As A Wasted Moment

I was honestly a bit burned out after all the hardcore marathon review sessions for the SAT

It’s been a week since I last blogged and this past week after taking the SAT was really a chance to start exploring again, preparing for Senior Year and also taking time off to reflect. To be honest, after taking the SAT, I felt really relieved but at the same time a bit burned out after all the marathon review sessions I went through the past month just to put myself in the best position to get a good score. I really needed this week where I had to cut back on studying and I just had to slow down a bit since I was probably reaching max speed already and I wouldn’t have wanted to go overdrive yet at this stage.

The ball that showed me how round the world is…in other words, you can be on top one second, then at the very bottom the next!

Aside from having my energy at a low after the SAT, I also had to face the decision this past week whether or not to go through surgery and have my ACL reconstructed. Previously, although I was really ambivalent about going through the process, I was all set to get the surgery over with however after long talks with a few doctors and also with my parents. However, I ultimately decided not to go through with the surgery for several reasons. First of all, my growth plates were still slightly open according to an X-ray. Second, even if I went through surgery, I probably still wouldn’t be able to return to the court this senior year of mine for it takes 6-8 months of rehab before I can go back to ball sports so the hassle of going through the process was looking more and more tedious. Third, the surgery process is really complicated and there are several risks that I deemed unnecessary since either way, basketball isn’t my future career.  So with all those uncertainties and ambivalence, I think I made the right choice not go through with it for now.

Sometimes, we just need to reflect upon life….

These last few days though, I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic as I weighed my options, talked to the doctor, discussed with my parents and in the process, looked back at my basketball journey and everything I went through the past years. I couldn’t help but shed a few tears and think about the what ifs. What if I decided to spend my time on something else? What if I was more open minded and not closed up in my own small world because of basketball? I was actually ranting at my parents how I wasted my teenage years so immersed and engrossed in basketball only to end up tearing my ACL. However, this is life. You can’t have everything and sometimes, things just won’t go your way. Those years I spent playing basketball seemed like such a waste but then I realized I learned so much from the journey. It truly was a humbling experience that taught me a myriad of things about life. Like the saying goes, “It’s not about the destination; it’s about the JOURNEY!”

To honest though, I regret alienating myself from almost everything and everyone during the previous years just to focus on basketball. The past is the past though, and all I can do is learn from my mistakes and look forward. This is what I’ve been doing the past few days, looking ahead and trying to prepare myself for one hell of a ride, SENIOR YEAR.

The past few days, I’ve been contacting friends, working on projects for my Committee and Club and at the same time, reading as much books as I can. Aside from that, I also recently tried out for the Debate Team. A lot of these things I probably would be too busy to do if I was still part of the basketball team. It’s truly amazing how the saying, “When one door closes, another opens.” In my case however, I’ve come to realize that there are so much more doors out there that I can open. Maybe injuring my knee truly was a blessing in disguise from God and everything will work out in the end. Right now, I’m just thankful to God for all the blessings He has given me and hopefully, this is just the start of more amazing things to come!

There will be really high moments and there will be super low moments, but I’ve come to realized that there’s no such a thing as a wasted moment for no matter what happens, there’s always a silver lining behind it. We may not realize it in the moment itself, but as long as we believe and are open to the possibilities, things will eventually work out for the better. 

-DOitChoco

Blessings in Disguise – When One Door Closes, Another Opens!

“How did you find out about this?”

That was question that I was asked yesterday during the Hands On Manila Volunteer Orientation that I attended. I didn’t want to explain the whole story so I simply said that I googled it out of curiosity during my free time. To be honest, this answer was very vague and superficial, and does not fully explain how I really ended up finding out about Hands On Manila and the orientation.

That lackluster answer is actually half true and half false. There are times where the vapid answer is the safer answer especially when you just met the person who’s asking you the question but her follow up question really struck me, “Why did you search for something like Hands On Manila?”

Obviously, my friend and I were the only high school students there so they must have been really shocked and at the same time intrigued as to why we were there. The first answer that popped out of my mouth was because I had some free time that I didn’t know how to kill but the truth is, I’m actually really busy right now reviewing for SAT, answering practice tests, writing blog posts, planning projects for my committees and clubs and other things, but I nonetheless decided to go.

 To be honest, I wasn’t really planning to attend because of all the aforementioned things I have on my plate and to add to that, I’m still recuperating from the knee injury I suffered and I can’t really walk properly yet but there was just this little voice inside me saying why not, it might be an opportunity of a lifetime. Aside from that, I recently wrote a blogpost about “stepping out your comfort zone, taking the initiative, being the change and volunteering” and I wanted to walk the talk especially since I wrote that blog post in support for the organization that was hosting the orientation.

Looking at it from a different perspective, if I had not tore my ACL, I probably would have been coming home from practice at the time of the orientation and I probably wouldn’t have gone to the orientation. Actually, I probably wouldn’t have even searched for volunteer organizations, let alone find Hands On Manila. But because I did tear my ACL, I realized how unpredictable life is and how anything can happen in an instant.

At the same time, I learned how to accept my situation, appreciate what I have and count my blessings. It occurred to me that there are a lot more people out there in a worse situation. Because of these realizations, I wanted to make the most out of my injury, find a way to make a difference in the society and share my blessings.

Because of a bit more free time I have for I can’t go to practice, I ended up finding the Facebook page of Hands On Manila, participating in the Bloggers for Social Change Project and going to the Volunteer orientation.

The orientation really opened my eyes and introduced me to the different philanthropic organizations out there. I also got to meet several convivial and amiable people who were very easy to approach and talk to. I really learned so much last night and I’m really happy that I decided to join the orientation.

So far, the fulfillment and genuine happiness I’ve gained from doing the aforementioned has really been priceless. However, for now, I’ll have to focus first on reviewing for the SAT since I have two weeks left before one of the biggest tests in my life! Nevertheless, I’m really pumped up to share my blessings and talents and I really can’t wait to start volunteering in the different projects!

Attending the orientation is definitely a step forward to my goal of making the most out of this year by losing myself in the service of others and really making a difference in the lives of the less fortunate! 🙂

-DOitChoco

Daily Prompt Silver Screen: “There’s no one I’d rather be than me.”

I honestly have more than a thousand favorite movie quotes because in almost every movie there is that one quote that just sums everything up and has a way of making you think about life and reality. Nevertheless, if there is one quote that has stuck with me all throughout the year ever since I watched the movie it belonged to.

“There’s no one I’d rather be than me.”

Yup, for those of you who don’t know or don’t remember where this quote came from, well, it’s from, in my opinion, one of the top movies from 2012, “Wreck-it Ralph.” If you haven’t watched this awe-inspiring, touching and at the same time vibrant movie, you better watch it now!

In life, there will really be moments where in you question yourself and become envious of what others have or who they are or who you aren’t.  We ask questions like, “why can’t I be like *insert name of person here*?”; “why can’t I do this or why I can’t do that when my peers can?”;  “why am I not as tall or as handsome as him?”;  “why can’t I jump as high as he can?”; “why can’t I be as slim as him?”; “why can’t I be just as good in singing as him?” and a thousand more different questions that almost every person sub-consciously ponders upon each and everyday.

These are questions that pop up in our heads especially when we see people who are better at something than us and are getting more attention because of that something they can do that we can’t.

This quote truly touched my heart and made me realize that I should be proud of who I am for I am just as unique and special as every other person out there. We are all human beings who have our own set of strengths, talents and gifts. God created us equally, it’s just that we should discover and find our niche and what we are good at.

One should not be envious of what others have or else, you never will be happy for there will always be someone out there better than you. What we must realize is that all we can control is the effort that we give and our outlook in life. We only truly live once and there is no use trying to be someone else, or someone you aren’t. You can’t change who you are, but you can work hard and make the most out of what you have for like I’ve always said, “Life is what you make it.”

Instead of looking at what you don’t have and what others have, why not try looking at what you have and what makes you special. When you do this, you’ll come to realize how lucky you are and how blessed you are. We humans can become really one sided and have a boxed out view but once we are able to open up and learn how to look at things from a different perspective, that is when we are truly able to enjoy life and be happy with our respective lives.

Up to today, whenever I start to doubt or question myself or whenever I start getting frustrated with my life, I just remember this quote from Wreck-it Ralph for “There’s no one I’d rather be than me!” This quote never fails to change my mood into a more positive one. It has a way of making you appreciate who you are for we all deserve love and appreciation, and this love and appreciation starts from within!

Count your blessings, appreciate what you have, think positive, smile, be proud of who you are and live life to the fullest!

-DOitChoco

Toppling the giant known as……”OVER THINKING”

We’ve finally finished our discussion of the book, Julius Caesar by Shakespeare. The tragedies of the different characters of this book truly showed me what can happen when one over thinks or misunderstands signs or omens. With everything that has been happening in my life right now and all the life-changing decisions I have to make sooner or later as Junior Year ends, I can’t help at times but over think and put meaning into things that aren’t suppose to mean anything.

In our everyday lives, there are different signs and omens that we look at when making decisions. During trying moments and when we have to make life-changing decisions, we ask God for signs. Then when something out of the ordinary occurs, we immediately label it as a sign or omen, even if it may have just been a coincidence.

Misreading and misinterpreting signs is human nature for nobody is perfect. Like what Cicero said, “Men may construe things after their fashion, / Clean from the purpose of the things themselves” (I.iii.34–35). 

This is the truth and more often than not, we see things the way we want to see them. There are a lot of instances in our life where we have to make decisions and think things over before acting. During these times of weighing and reflection, we can’t help ourselves from putting meaning into things that don’t really mean much. Because of this, we end up over thinking and instead of making the best possible decision, we end up doing something uncharacteristic.

Overcoming the over-thinking syndrome is a challenge for most of us. Being an over thinker is a double-edged sword. At times, we are able to see the deeper details and read between the lines when we think things through, but during other instances, we end up mis interpreting signs, which leads us to confusion.

1. Don’t let any single decision dictate your life and change you. Continue to live your everyday life and do what you love to do. It is very common nowadays for people to just go on a period where they don’t do anything but fuss over a dilemma of theirs. Instead of solving their problem, they end up being even more confused and they end up doing things they’d later on regret. Aside from that, the anxiety and stress one experiences when he lets a debacle contain his life is obviously not healthy for a human being.

2. In order to avoid being barred and trapped by your debacles, try to keep yourself busy and do something that will help you clear your mind. Listen to music, play an instrument, exercise/workout, play a sport, or read a book in order to keep your mind busy. Even better yet, go out and help in a charitable organization.

3. Don’t keep everything to yourself. Don’t be afraid to seek the guidance and perspective of others; may it be your friends or family. No man is an island, and we need the help of others. More often than not, during these challenging moments, we are confounded and our vision is blurred. We usually miss key details and forget our principles and priorities in life, and what is truly important to us. Aside from this, when we share our pains and sorrows with others, the heavy feeling inside us lightens up because we realize that we aren’t alone, and that we have someone who cares for us.

4. Weigh the advantages and disadvantages but don’t think too far back to the future. This is because a lot of things can happen in a short amount of time. People will change, and things will happen. You can’t control what will happen in the future, but what you can control is your present actions.

5. Last but not the least, always remember that no matter what happens, LIFE GOES ON. A year, or even a month from now, you will have either forgotten what was bothering you to today or laughed at how you were troubled by such a simple thing. Count your blessings and appreciate what you have and your position in life. Think about it this way, there thousands of other people out there who have worse things to face.

-DOitChoco