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I guess I better spit it out now because I totally (and purposefully) forget about this.
I’m not going to Australia for World Youth Day 2008.
I know. Surprising, after having this (not so active) blog, and the posts about me registering as a pilgrim and me saying I’d push through even if I know I’d be totally wiped out from all the expenses because I know the experience will be worth it. It still pains me to really accept that my more than a year-long dream of going to Australia for this event is not going to push through. But I’ve got to face and stick to my decision, no matter how painful and regretful I feel, because I believe it’s the right thing to do now.
The main reason why I am not going anymore is that my visa arrived just three days ago. Interesting, right? Especially since my scheduled departure is on the 13th. And because my visa did not arrive on time, I wasn’t able to book any flights. Sure, I had some reserved, but since the visa isn’t here yet, I couldn’t pay for them. And time was running out.
Why didn’t the visa arrive on time? I passed my application papers to our group last May and was expecting to get them back the following week. But the next week they’re still not with me, and the following week and the following…until I finally heard that they were on hold because of some missing papers that I’m not supposed to pass because someone is supposed to take care of it. And then, I heard it was passed again and I got another message that the application form I used was the old one, so I had to sign again. And so I did. I thought I wouldn’t be approved anymore because I know the validity of my certificate of employment is only for a month. The week went on without any news, and I told myself that if July comes in and there’s no news yet, I would not be going regardless of what the results of my visa application is.
Well hello. Visa approved. I learned this the day after I finally made my decision not to go. :|
(More…)
I’ve already heard about this around two to three weeks ago, but I only got to blog about this now (see how self-centered I can be? Ack):
IBM creates its own Peace Corps
By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 08:34:00 05/03/2008
MANILA, Philippines — IBM is sending 600 of its employees to emerging countries over the next three years to do volunteer work involving IT.
IBM said the first 100 employees will be sent this year to six countries — Romania, Turkey, Vietnam, Ghana, Tanzania and the Philippines — to work on projects “that intersect economic development and IT.”
“It’s a corporate version of the Peace Corps,” said James Velasquez, country general manager for IBM Philippines, referring to the tech giant’s Corporate Service Corps initiative.
Thomas Veloso from the local IBM office was selected and will join nine more IBMers from the United States, Japan, China, India and the United Kindom as a team assigned to go to Tanzania in Africa.
More than 5,000 IBM employees worldwide applied for the program but only 100 were selected for this year.
In the Philippines, the IBM team will be based in Cagayan de Oro and Davao City in the South.
The team will create management information systems to track progress of loan and grant beneficiaries from the Philippine Development Assistance Program, according to IBM.
IBM is working with three non-governmental organizations from the US, Canada and Australia. These NGOs identify projects and local organizations the IBM teams can work with.
This is one of the coolest things I’ve heard at work ever. :) I love how the company is getting their people involved in helping. That’s why we were encouraged at work to go and volunteer for corporate social responsibility events, because it really has an effect. Thomas (Tom) Veloso used to be the GK-IBM head, and all his efforts are paying off with this amazing opportunity presented to him. :)
I’d love to have the same opportunity. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’d love if I would be granted one too, plus size clothing and all (um…right. What did I just write?). Maybe someday, I hope? :) Granted, I’d have to work doubly harder to get this, but it’s a good goal, right? :)
Maybe someday. In the meantime, let me finish all my deliverables. Heh.
[Cross posted from Mission: Sydney]
I know I haven’t been updating as much, and I’m sorry. I’ve been busy with job related stuff that I keep on forgetting that I owe this blog A LOT of updates.
So my last post, almost a month ago, was about me registering as a pilgrim for WYD 2008 — FINALLY. After long long wait and doubts, I finally got off my lazy bum and registered. :) It felt exciting and all, but after a few days, the excitement wore off and I suddenly wondered if I should still push through. I suddenly realized I had so much stuff to do — fix my visa, fix my airfare, buy winter clothes and save, save, save! I suddenly had doubts if I could pull it off financially. Do I have enough money? Can I pay for everything? I know my parents are there and all, and I could ask them for some help, but I’m already working; I want to finance this on my own, as much as possible.
And if I do manage to get enough finances…how about when I return? I’d be losing almost a year of my savings…can’t I just continue saving and go to Australia (or other places) another time?
But…this is World Youth Day. This is a chance of a lifetime. The next WYD might be too far and even more expensive for me to go.
See, I’m talking to myself.
But anyway, I know my savings might be gone after this trip, and it’s only for a week. And when I get back, salary’s like three weeks to go. How the heck will I survive, especially with my bills? :| Going to Australia isn’t as cheap as horse supplements, you know.
That’s worse case scenario of course. I know I won’t blow off all my money, and probably for airfare I can use my trusty Lizzie or Sylvia the credit card to save me some of the immediate cash out when I buy the ticket. Plus I’ll be saving more because I know my accommodation and food are paid for with my registration. But I still can’t help but think if I want to postpone this for another time.
BUT THEN…what I’m talking about is just money. I know it’s important, but I know I can never replace the experience I’ll be getting from this entire thing. Cliche as it may sound, this is a once in a lifetime experience. I’ve been praying to go to Australia for two years now; why stop now when it’s practically within reach? Right? And this is like, the biggest Catholic youth event ever, and other people are dying to go. The experience is definitely going to make a HUGE dent on my finances…but I’m pretty sure the ENTIRE experience is worth it. Right? I can earn the money back after, but I can never replace all the learnings that I will be getting from this entire…adventure. Yes, this is an adventure. :)
Soooo…go lang! :) Let’s see where this brings me. :) I pray that God provide me the grace (and finances :D) to go through with this trip. Please pray with me? :)
I was tagged by Ganns. :)
The rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people and post a comment to Ganns’s blog (he’s the one who tagged me) once you’ve posted your three sentences.
I know the book on my Now Reading list is Pride and Prejudice, but to be honest, I haven’t budged. Ack. I like it, but I can’t seem to settle into it as easily as other books because of the language.
Anyway, I’ve decided to take a break from that, so now I brought another book for the ride to Batangas tomorrow for our beach trip tomorrow: Wicked by Gregory Maguire.
So after that loooong introduction, here’s my three sentences:
Damn! Double damn! He couldn’t concentrate.
Well. That’s certainly very…enlightening. Eh.
I’ve taken a break on reading after the last stash of books I got because I was too busy. ^^; But I spotted another book I’d like to have at National Bookstore earlier: The Host by Stephenie Meyer. But I must resist! I know books are not as expensive as a medical id bracelet, but I still have to buy a swimsuit! Plus the moment I buy one, I’d end up buying another bunch. Heh.
But I digress.
I’m tagging the following people:
- Sasha at The Parody
- Ate Angela at Seasonal Plume
- Jeric at Brinknotes
- Athena at Aquatique.net
- Katia at oh skipping beats
Okay back to work.
I dubbed my day yesterday as my OMG (Oh my gosh!) Day, because of the number of things that I found out and talked about which made me feel so overwhelmed. Let’s see…I had about 5 discoveries/talks yesterday that got me thinking, “OMG OMG OMG”. Hence, OMG Day. I was supposed to post this last night, but internet at home is super slow once again (why don’t we have fiber optic cables for our connections anyway?). >_>
But I shall only write about one of the OMG things yesterday as it’s the most relevant.
As the month of July draws near, I keep on wondering if I should push through with my WYD 2008 dream. Just last Saturday I was thinking that I might not be able to go there anymore because of financial reasons, and I’ve almost accepted it. There’s this “what if” whispering at the back of my mind, and some strands of regret that tells me, I should have tried harder.
And the latter thought sucks, by the way. I hate regretting things. And I feel like if I didn’t even try for this one, I would forever regret it. Or at least, regret it for the rest of the year.
I can’t remember how I got to checking airfares in the Philippine Airlines website yesterday, but I was doing that in the afternoon. I saw all airfares in their website is still out of my budget. Until my friend Marvs told me to check Ultimate Fares. I was ready to accept that the fare would still be expensive, and then Marvs told me of this one straight trip to Sydney via PAL that is around USD 760.
That’s like…PHP 10,000 less than all the fares I saw in the PAL website.
WHOA. OMG OMG OMG!
All of a sudden, the fire of the dream glowed brighter. Nabuhayan ako ng loob! I realized, with quick computation, that I could probably afford it. Most probably, leaning into the more positive side. I found a group of people to go with (yay YFC!). I found a reasonable fare (even if I’m still worried if that disappears). I talked to a friend who works with a travel agency and can give us packages for Sydney.
And suddenly, Sydney seems to be easier to reach!
So today, I finally did what I said I would do way back in February:
I registered as a Pilgrim in the WYD 2008 website.
Aaaahhhh!!! This is it! As what I called it before, this is my DIVE! This is when things start rolling, and I have to roll with it or else I’ll be left behind! I’m excited and scared and worried all at the same time, and this still doesn’t guarantee that I’ll be able to go, but I’m getting there. I still don’t know where to pull all my finances before I get there, but I’m praying things will all fall into place. Of course, I have to do my part as well — like work on my Australian Visa requirements and find more ways to save cash for the trip (donations are welcome, seriously).
I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of Your heart.
I think I shall call this day The Day of Action. Today and the next few days, that is.
And yes, this means I’ll be updating Mission: Sydney again. :)
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