Little Elephant’s Story

      One upon a time there lived a little elephant in the far, far away jungle. But this little elephant was not a good boy, and he was never listening to what his mother was telling to him. She was always saying : ” Be careful where you are going and don’t wonder around, because jungle is not the safest place to be!”, but he didn’t care a lot about what his mother’s talking. And, than one day he went to the river and the crocodile caught him. Little elephant tried to run away, but it was to late, the elephant already got him. He started to yell, and good thing was that his mother and father heard…not only they heard the little elephant’s screaming all the family did, so they all run to the rescue, and saved little elephant. From that day, this little elephant never was a bad boy and listened to his mother and became fine and big elephant! Always listen to your mothers! vedrisha 

Things I want to do Before I Die (My Bucket List)

All of us have dreams -- the wildest of which our own dreams cannot even fathom. We long to see more, learn more, and travel more. Imagine being able to say at the end of your life's journey: "Wow, what a ride!" 

 We keep an unending list of things we want to achieve, things we want to change, attitudes we want to cultivate. It is so great to take the time and really ask yourself, what DO I want? Creating and achieving your life list is about deciding what you really want-which means setting goals. 

As I got older, I still had it and now, perhaps of out necessity, but nevertheless, it is about time I crack my skull open to fish for things once lost. I realized there are so many things I want to accomplish in my lifetime. Call it a quarter-life crisis. I found that some of the things I'd listed I'd already done, which was kind of a neat revelation. And here they are.

1. Serve God, make disciples. Serve the people and the government

2. Write and publish at least one book
3. Spending a year with the minorities; volunteering at a homeless shelter or an orphanage; and mentoring  a disadvantaged children and youth.
4. Promote win/win conflict resolution.
5. Positively impact at least 10 people’s lives
6. Starting a profitable, location-independent business doing what I love
7. Having a million dollar investment portfolio to finance my life goals.

8. Establish my non-profit children’s foundation. - DONE
9. Exhibit my own paintings and artworks in a gallery

10. Date someone, get dumped, and remain best friends with them even though they broke my heart. DONE

11. Make my family proud and watch them enjoy life.
12. Learn to play an instrument well.

13. Wave to a stranger, smile and make them smile back. DONE
14. Go scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia
15. Lay down on railroad tracks, and take a picture of the sky.

16. See Starry Night and the Mona Lisa.

17. Drive and/or ride in a Corvette, Porsche, and Ferrari.

18. Travel around the world and take my parents on a vacation abroad

19. Make 50 people smile, in one day and take a homeless person out to eat-DONE

20. Go bungee jumping and kayaking through class IV rapids

21. Go to an African wildlife safari, try hang gliding and walk the Incan trail to Machu Picchu, Peru

22. Explore Antarctica and photograph an endangered species.

23. Experience the cherry blossoms in Japan

24. Find out where my ancestors came from.

25. Understand the truth behind the time-space continuum DONE

26. Give someone a total and pleasant surprise DONE

27. Ride a camel in a dessert

28. Visit the Great Wall of China, Egypt’s pyramid, Taj Mahal, Stonehenge and Explore Teotihuacan

29. Learn to fly a plane

30. Have a meaningful conversation with a beggar- DONE

31. Elect to a public office

32. Get interviewed by international media and publications like Business Week, Times Magazine, Forbes, CNN, etc

33. Realize the most beautiful, intelligent, funny, talented, compassionate woman you've ever met has fallen in love with you. (I keep pinching myself, but I'm still awake!)

34. Find someone who loves me unconditionally and Have a romantic dinner on a hot air balloon, and......

35. Get married to the woman I love and have a wonderful family life.

There’s a lot of impossible things to be accomplished but instead of worrying about when that wonderful days come I think it is best to work towards completing some simple yet spectacular things in my life. M. Russell Ballard said, “small events and choices determine the direction of our lives just as small helms determine the directions of great ships."So, what’s on your "bucket list" Shernan

King and Lesing Through the Years

Lolo Tangking and Lola Lesing's Golden Wedding Anniversary

( Felicidad Cayetano Gamo and Tancredo Aungon Fajutnao)

          What can be a more precious moment than the time when your better half enters your life? Marriage is considered to be one the most special occasion when two individuals get committed in a relationship forever. This Year, my Lolo Tangking and lola Lesing will be celebrating their Golden wedding anniversary.

         It will truly be an affair to remember because not many people make it through the first five years, let alone ten times that number. When lolo Tangking and Lola Lesing first met, Lolo lived in San Andres Romblon and Lola lived in Roma, Mansalay Oriental Mindoro.  Lolo was a small scale businessman then while lola was a simple barrio girl. ‘‘It has brought me joy and love that since our marriage, your lola Lesing has always understood the significance of our relationship, and in our family life, as she stood by me, she has been very devoted to the members of our family,’’ Lolo Tangking told me.

            They truly deserve to celebrate their fruitful marriage life. Imagine they have managed to survive a half century of life's ups and downs together. Over that period of time our grandparents builds a legacy that can't be measured in material possessions, but rather the lives they have touched through their love and faith. Learning from their story, the celebration will be a recreation of their love affair when they began their life together some 50 years ago.

       They have three children: Elcana (School Principal), Jemale (Agriculturist, Gov’t Employee) and Tancredo, Jr. (Electrician, OFW); 17 grandchildren; and 1 great-grandchildren. They raised and educated their children well and actively involved in overseeing their grandchildren.

This event is a reminder of the day on which our lolo and lola united in love to walk through the path of life with each other at all times, be it good or bad. (Shernan)

Anti-Dengue Information Drive

In an effort to prevent the surging number of dengue cases in our Barangay, I conducted  school health information drive on Wednesday (September 1, 2010) to mobilized the National perspective  in stepping up its goal on dengue prevention and control.
Salvacion Elementary School principal in Maliwanag, Mansalay Oriental Mondoro, Mrs. Elcana Gamol along with the teachers are actively joining and supporting the  information drive following the surging number of dengue cases in the country, particularly in our area where 2 mortalities were reported.
The targeted participants in the drive are school teachers and pupils, particularly those children living in the remote area where mosquitoes are prevalent.

KALAYAAN 2010

As long as the Filipino people have not enough spirit to proclaim, brow held high and breast bared, their right to a free society, and to maintain it with their sacrifices, with their very blood; as long as we see our countrymen privately ashamed, hearing the cries of their revolted and protesting conscience, but silent in public, or joining the oppressor in mocking the oppressed; as long as we see them wrapping themselves up in their selfishness and praising the most iniquitous acts with forced smiles, begging with their eyes for a share of the booty, why give them freedom?

Dr. Jose Rizal (El Filibusterismo)

Ang Pamamahayag ng Kalayaan ng Pilipinas ay ginanap noong Hunyo 12, 1898, kung saan ipinahayag ng mga Pilipinong manghihimagsik sa pamumuno ni Heneral Emilio Aguinaldo(na naging Unang Pangulo ng Pilipinas) ang soberanya at kalayaan ng Pilipinas mula saEspanya matapos matalo ang mga ito sa labanan sa Look ng Maynila sa Digmaang Espanyol-Amerikano.

 Ngayong ika-12 ng Hunyo taong 2010, ang sambayanang Pilipino ay nagkakaisa upang ipagdiwang ang ika-112 araw ng Kalayaan.

Things I Believe

I believe life is good.
I believe God is in everything.
I believe GOD created everything we know.
I believe there is no greater love than he that lays down his life to save another.
I believe that I am a member of the Body of Christ, and that He acts in this world through our embodiment of him.
I believe faith, hope and prayers are very powerful weapons
I believe there is a soul mate out there for you
I believe we're all equal.
I believe we can help people.
I believe everyone is weird in their own way.
I believe saying smart things and giving smart answers are important. Learning to listen to others and to ask smart questions is more important.
I believe that when I meditate I feel peaceful.
I believe we should be generous.
I believe brothers and sisters should be kind to each other.
I believe that happiness is a decision and learning to make that decision is a huge part of the reason we’re here.
I believe kids should respect their parents.
I believe I should not whine.
I believe people should wake up early.
I believe people should go outside more.
I believe in nature.
I believe people should use less trees.
I believe we should CONSERVE the natural habitat and rainforest animals.
I believe people shouldn't throw litter on the ground.
I believe people should not smoke.
I believe everything happens for a reason.
I believe in magic.
I believe dogs are preferable to cats, but that kittens and puppies are equally cute.
I believe people should not give up.
I believe love is everywhere.
I believe in asking yourself, do I have enough? Do you really need more money, power, prestige, or stuff?
I believe that God helps us to have a good time.
I believe we live best in a community.
I believe in learning how to fight as if you are right and listen as if you are wrong: It helps you develop strong opinions that are weakly held.
I believe we can protect people in danger.
I believe we should help the poor.
I believe that no one should be denied health care or education for lack of money
I believe it's OK to die but not to kill.
I believe I can work smarter, not harder.
I believe you get what you expect from people. This is especially true when it comes to selfish behavior; unvarnished self-interest is a learned social norm, not an unwavering feature of human behavior.
I believe war should not have started.
I believe war should stop.
I believe we can make peace.
I believe that the best test of a person's character is how he or she treats those with less power.
I believe in the saying “Do onto others as you want them to do onto you”
I believe forgiveness goes a long way
I believe regret is a wasted emotion, learn and move on.
I believe honesty and sometimes silence is the best policy
I believe that pets are good for your health.
I believe only a dog wants a bone.
I believe I can concentrate on what I can do, not what I can't do
I believe on following through on promises
I believe sometimes the best management is no management at all -- first do no harm!
I believe indifference is as important as passion.
I believe that the weaker the argument, the louder the voice.
I believe in organizational life, you can have influence over others or you can have freedom from others, but you can't have both at the same time.
I believe "Everyone else does" isn't a reason; it's an excuse.
I believe children are not born as blank slates to write upon. People are born with their basic personality and temperament. I've seen too many good people who come from bad families, and bad people who come from good families to believe different.
I believe God put that itchy spot on our backs, just exactly where we can’t reach it, to encourage us to be nice to each other.
I believe I work to live, I don't live to work.
I believe minds are like parachutes; in order to function properly, they must be open.
I believe that the intentional celibacy is unnatural.
I believe you can't successfully nor ethically legislate morality.
I believe knowledge is power.

ULING

Haiy…Natatanaw ko na naman ang makapal na usok na nanggagaling sa bukid sa likod ng aming kabahayan. Naamoy ko ulit ang nasusunog na punongkahoy at halaman sa kagubatan. Kelan ba matitigil ang pag-uuling at pgkakaingin sa lugar namin. Hihintayin pa ba ng mga tao na magaya sa ibang lugar na tinabunan ng lupa mula sa bundok bago ito bigyan ng pansin? Kalbong-kalbo na ang mga bundok, halos wala na ring malalaking puno at tila walang ginagawa ang mga kinauukulan upang ang mga ito ay mabigyang lunas.

Pag-uuling (Coal mining via burning of trees) and Slash and burn farming or kaingin continues on the mountains of Oriental Mindoro despite the arrests and cases filed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) against those involved in the highly destructive method.

I observed the lack of forest guards as one of the reasons why the effort to prevent slash and burn farming failed. There should be one forest guard for every 1,000 hectares according to the law.

They are now having some kind of a cat and mouse game. The moment our forest guards are away, the mang-uuling and kaingineros (slash and burn farmers) will strike. They cannot sustain their presence because forest guards are very few.

Pag-uuling and Slash and burn farming is highly destructive because it burns even young trees and destruct natural resources.

I hope that after the elections, the local government office would request the national government to hire forest guards to help in forest and ecological protection.

This is my simple advocacy for Environmental awareness and Greener Philippines.

~Shernan Fajutnao Gamol

Photos taken at Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro

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WHAT IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES?

God’s love. We all have them. Only we don’t always act on them. How many times have we wanted to say, share or be something but just sat back and let the opportunity pass? These are some of the realizations I have all throughout the training for victory.

I really wanted to share the word of God everyday, but at the end I am no better than the person who didn’t think it and didn’t do it. In fact, I can do it but I fail to do speak not because of my inability or even lack of opportunity, but rather my lack of initiative, commitment and compassion to lost people. This training made me realized that God’s Love is within us, waiting to be shared. Sometimes our love cup is emptied, not because of overt cup emptying, but merely because no one cared enough to fill it. I know, it’s much harder to love someone than it is to merely beat them. In fact, no one ever really wins. The truth is that Love – and only Love – wins. Our love is not to be measured by the minimum of what we can do, nor is it to be limited only to those who appear deserving. Our standard for real love is that God because He first loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins and we have no reasons not to share it.

I’ve always asked God how can I impact other people’s lives through his love.  God had given me quite a strange answer to all the questions I’d been asking Him. Since then, I’ve known that it takes only one person to make a difference. That one person starts a chain of discipleship. He or she may directly impact the life of only one person, but that person may pass it on, and it can travel the world. One action is just one action. But it can light up the way of others for years. I believe that we only have to respond to the challenges to become extraordinary. The lives of countless ‘ordinary’ people who said ‘yes’ to the challenge change the course of history. By saying ‘yes’ and carrying it through, God made them greater than what they were. They became at the very least, ‘extraordinary’.

At the end of the day, I pray I could declare that “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith, henceforth there is laid for me that crown of righteousness…[2 tim 4:7].

V-Ubelt Training for Victory

HAGIS BARYA

Sa tuwing uuwi ako ng Mindoro, hindi mawawala sa eksena ang mga kabataang sumisigaw ng "hagis barya" pagdaong ng barko sa pier. Mahuhusay lumangoy ang kabataang ito. Animo'y nagmamakaawa na hagisan man lang sila kahit konting barya. Hanga ako sa kanilang galing sa pagsisid ang paghuli ng barya na wari'y lamang dagat kung bumulusok paibaba sa kalaliman ng dagat.

Sa aking paghihintay sa pagbaba ng bangka, sumasampa ang ilang kabataan sa gilid ng bapor, marahil sa tindi na rin ng sikat ng araw. Halos kulay sunog na nga ang mga balat nila. Marahil, iyon na ang ikinabubuhay nila. Minsan pa nga, kasama pa nila ang maliliit na bata.
Gamit ang talento sa paglangoy at pagsisid: “Kuya, hagis barya kayo diyan!” ang sigaw nila. Namamaos na nga ang iba sa kanila. Habang ang ibang pasahero ay aliw na aliw na humahagis ng barya, naisip ko na ang baryang inihahagis mo sa dagat ay s'ya nilang ikabubuhay.

Keeping the Hope Alive

Have you ever asked yourself the question “Kaninong buhay ang babaguhin ko?" or “Why am I here on earth?”’. For me, it can only be good to open the repository of joy, share to others and refill it once in a while. Some people fear doing this kind of act because they are suspicious of the concept. They somehow believe that there are people who can do it better or they don’t simply fit with the situations, as if the very act means the abandonment of their career, duties and obligations for themselves. I’m always moved by the efforts of the many good people who have responded to the call for help of other. I catch myself choking on my tears whenever I see or read about the great suffering of many and the heroic compassionate work being done by people to alleviate the pain of others, giving them hope. It is truly awesome and inspiring.

I believe that we only have to respond to the challenges to become extraordinary. The lives of countless ‘ordinary’ people who said ‘yes’ to the challenge change the course of history. By saying ‘yes’ and carrying it through, they became greater than what they were. They became at the very least, ‘extraordinary’. Being one, do not necessarily mean that you’ll be popular, rich or whatsoever, it only depicts the fulfillment and joy that once in you life you became a blessing to other people. Di naman kailangang mayaman ka para makatulong o maging extraordinary, yung talento, malasakit, oras, at pagiging inspirasyon mo ay mas malaking bagay para mabago ang buhay ng iba. Material thing fades, but hope never abandons you. I’ll be the happiest person in the world if someday, at least one person will approach me and said “Thank you, you touched my life”. That's why I'm grateful that I have been blessed with a great circle of friends and relatives that definitely are my support system and act as my crutches in times of need. They are the “extraordinary” in my life.

I know that when I am happy, I am able to imbue situations I find myself in with happiness and even share it with everyone. While there is something good and heroic about giving and sharing to others, I know, in the end, it is simply sustainable and that’s why I will do it not just once in a while but in every situation. Because, when we replenish the well-spring of the goodness from which we shower the world with, we feel better and more empowered. And we must not forget that the hope we give to ourselves is a necessary ingredient if we are to fulfill our obligations and duties to others with joy and with constancy. I remember someone said that you can live for 30 days without food. Eight days without water, and about eight minutes without air, but never for a second without hope.

At the end of the day, we can mess up all we want and as often as we want, it’s our choice. But one thing we can be sure of is there are events, people and missions thrown our way from time to time that open our eyes and remind us that there is good in us, and in everyone. To all of you, who have made a difference in my life, thank you! To my friends and family, I don't get around to saying it much, but you know how much I love you. Ever since I decided to live up the compassion of reaching out the needy and serve others, not only I found a renewed vigor, hope and spirit in living but also an enthusiasm for the work God and found it to be joyful and priceless.

With hope, anything's possible.  Without hope life is meaningless.

Learning From Experience

When you're biking down a gravel-strewn road and you slam into a tree, you learn something. You learn for example, not to look at the cute girls or guys on the sidewalk, but instead pay attention to the road. When you're strutting leisurely along the corridors of your school and you fall flat on your butt, you learn something. You learn not to daydream while you're walking to the library.

Obviously, we can learn lots of things from our everyday experieces. it may not be everyday that we experience something extraordinary. But it's everyday that each of us is molded into what we will be tomorrow.  

Once memories have remained and years have formed every fabric of your being, you realize that growing up has served its purpose.