three years in the making

September 2010, I started this blog along with my very first bucket list - 25 before 25. Number twenty of the said list says..

20. JOIN VOLUNTEER WORKS
Exactly on my mind is the likes of 'Habitat for Humanity'. I may look fragile and oh-so arte but I've always wanted to try the works of carpenters {I'm referring to those who build homes, whatever the appropriate term is}. First, I like to try painting walls. Every time our house gets repainted, i get so inggit when they paint the walls with that roller thing. Next I can think of is mixing cement. I find it fun ever since I was a kid but the parents won't allow me try. Poor me gets contented watching kuyang karpintero do it. Hmm.. and anything related to building homes I want to try {probably be a karpintero in my next life}. So to fulfill the dream I might join Hands on Manila. They have various outreach programs, from community projects, to health and nutrition, to sports and education. The sister is already a member of HOM {not active though}, she can tell me the how-to's. 

I wasn't able to finish that bucket list but I closed it anyway July the following year - dream and do update. One of the items I wasn't able to accomplish is obviously, #20. Join Volunteer Works. That and five others. 

I didn't want to give up on the six things that I missed so come 2012 I made another bucket list - 2012 goals. That consists of the leftovers and twelve new ones, total of twenty.

5. JOIN VOLUNTEER WORKS
Someday I'll be brave enough to go to a volunteer work alone. There's no one I can drag these days.

But as some of you may already know, last year is by far my ugliest year - career and health wise. Because of the drama that was my life, I was seven items short in completing my second bucket list. One of them, again, is #5. Join Volunteer Works.

I SUCK. Ikr?! But heaven must have felt pity on me already so it sent a bucket list angel in the form of JHOOV! Naks!! She literally forced me to accompany her to their company activity which is to volunteer at Villamor Air Base.

Truth be told, I said NO to her at first. To volunteer: why not?! But to mingle with strangers aka her officemates: HELL NO! Hahaha! I have inadequate social skills, if I may remind everyone. :P I tried my best to stick with my NO but my conscience kicked in. Plus, she told me we'd be taking care of kids! I rested my case that instant. 

4am of that day, Jhov woke me up. Heey, I did wake up! But I'll whisper something to you.. shhh, don't tell anyone but I slept again. :P I  was fashionably late as usual but we're lucky like that, we still caught their company van. Tapos syempre, pinamukha ko kay Jhov na hindi kami naiwan. Now who wants me for a friend? Uhmm. Guys?? Yoohoo!! Oohh, so I guess no one. *sobs*

selfies to jumpstart the day
pasensya na :P

We arrived there at around 8am. Lo and behold! The HR rep told us we didn't have pre-arranged assignments and that we'd have to look for a booth/activity center where we can help. In my head I was like, "Liaaars! You said kidss!! Where are they?!! Show me the kids and no one gets hurt." Hehe. That's how I keep my self sane. We registered at the gym instead and got in at around 11am if I'm not mistaken. Thank God for free rides around the air base, it kept us entertained the whole morning.

I was a little overwhelmed when we got in. You can't blame me, it was the first time I ever saw a warehouse for relief operations. But more than that, I was excited. Dream come true moment ko kaya yun! Bawal basig trip. :P  We were already briefed outside but we were given few more reminders before we started. (1) Wrap your feet with plastic bags, you'll be stepping on the pile of rice grains that's why. (2) Six scoops of rice when using the small dipper, or 3 when using the bigger dippers. (3) Tie the plastic bag. (4) Put the tied plastic bag in another open plastic bag. Easy peasy!

glimpse of our area

Here's a side note: I've always believed in the saying, "Do it passion or don't do it all." It's just so true. I really can't see the point of doing something without even trying to be good at it. For crying out loud, there are too many mediocre things in life already.

And with that, I'm pretty sure what I did that day was far from being mediocre. Jhov and I even got special attention from the other workers because of how efficient we were. One guy would throw us plastic bags from time to time, another would open sack after sack intended just for me and Jhov. I even heard someone joke around na may kinikilingan daw. I'd like to believe that was because of our hardwork more than our charm. Pero syempre factor pa rin ang charm. Hehehe. ✌

 

 

Late lunch followed past 1pm then we freshened up to transfer to the day care. I wasn't expecting much from the next activity cause we already saw the day care when we roamed around earlier that day. There weren't much kids. True to my expectation, the number of volunteers that were already inside the booth was more than enough. We were asked to sort clothes instead but we had to wait until they're able to setup the tent. 

this is how vain people wait :P

The sorting part was rather funny. There were underwears, rotten clothes, stained ones, among others. We finished a good number of sacks and boxes considering we only had less than an hour to do so. We left them labelled as adult-tops, adult-bottoms, kids and rejects. The last one gave us a good laugh 'cause we weren't even told to separate them, hindi lang talaga namin ma-take how ugly the other clothes are. Which brings me to another point, we donate clothes not to merely dispose of our old stuff, we donate clothes so that the people on the receiving end can actually have something to use. Good judgment goes a long way. ;) 

We're done by around 4pm but Jhov and I extended the afternoon with a short stint in her office plus dinner at KFC. This is entirely irrelevant to the topic of volunteering but I'm obsessed with their cheezy bacon fest rice bowl.  Like really obsessed, I'm salivating right now. 

 

via
uuyyy, magccraaavvee na yaaaan

ELSEWHERE

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