Help Calumpit Rise Up

    The beauty of the sunset in Calumpit. Photo by Dads Valencia.

Help CALUMPIT Rise Up and See the Light.

This is my simple request to you my dear friends, followers, colleagues, followings and circles. Please HELP my hometown Calumpit to rise up again from this tough times and see the beauty of the light again.

Many of my friends, relatives, neighbors and 'kababayans' are still in the middle of this chaotic situation. Many are still trapped from the roof of their houses with no food and clean water to drink. Others were rescued and brought to evacuation centers but their situation are no better than those who chose to stay in their submerged houses. Children and the elders are getting more exposed to dangerous illnesses. A lot of houses were swept away by the high current of flood water and the majority of the agricultural land were destroyed. And sadly, some lives were taken by this unprecedented tragedy. 

I appeal to the local and national government to do the all-effort-actions that need to be done to rescue those whose lives are still in-danger especially those communities that are far from the town center. They also need food and clean water to drink and some decent dry clothes to wear. I believe we have all the resources to help these people, we just need to put those into good and timely use. And to private individuals here and abroad, share a little by helping out through donations in cash or in kind or even volunteer work. That would really mean a lot and it's gonna be a big, big help. Let's not stop from just watching the news and feeling bad about what happened. We need to DO something and make a contribution for our fellow Filipinos. 

If you wanna help CALUMPIT and the other affected areas in Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac you can make donations to these well-trusted organizations who can professionally handle your cash and in-kind donations and have a systematic way of distributing it to those who need the most urgent help.

Donate through Sagip Kapamilya

http://www.sagipkapamilya.com/index.php?page=don

Donate through Kapuso Foundation, Inc.

http://www.kapusofoundation.com/donate

Donate through Philippine Red Cross

http://www.redcross.org.ph/donate

If you want to specifically help my hometown Calumpit, I'm going to have a 'DONATE YOUR OLD-CLOTHES MEET-UP' on Friday, October 07, 5pm (tentative) at Trinoma. If you're interested in donating your old clothes and even some relief goods, please coordinate with me through this number: 09179572833. Or you can ask to have a meet-up at The Fort or Makati after my office hours at 2pm starting tomorrow 'til Friday. 

For those who would like to volunteer their car, it would be a great help too. All the help-of-kindness will be very much appreciated.

*Note: If you're gonna send me an SMS, i can only reply after office hours at 2pm. You can email me at dads.valencia@gmail.com or evalencia@teamotd.com though. 

Thank you very much in advance. ^_^

Together, we can MAKE and START a change...

Valero St., Central Balungao, Calumpit, Bulacan. This is the street of the    community where I grew up. I have never experienced such flood for at least 21 years that I lived here. Photo By: Abigail Mercado on Facebook.

 A column of residents from Calumpit go on a mass exodus from their village. 

Photo by Rem Zamora for abs-cbnNEWS.com.

Help Calumpit Rise Up

    The beauty of the sunset in Calumpit. Photo by Dads Valencia.

Help CALUMPIT Rise Up and See the Light.

This is my simple request to you my dear friends, followers, colleagues, followings and circles. Please HELP my hometown Calumpit to rise up again from this tough times and see the beauty of the light again.

Many of my friends, relatives, neighbors and 'kababayans' are still in the middle of this chaotic situation. Many are still trapped from the roof of their houses with no food and clean water to drink. Others were rescued and brought to evacuation centers but their situation are no better than those who chose to stay in their submerged houses. Children and the elders are getting more exposed to dangerous illnesses. A lot of houses were swept away by the high current of flood water and the majority of the agricultural land were destroyed. And sadly, some lives were taken by this unprecedented tragedy. 

I appeal to the local and national government to do the all-effort-actions that need to be done to rescue those whose lives are still in-danger especially those communities that are far from the town center. They also need food and clean water to drink and some decent dry clothes to wear. I believe we have all the resources to help these people, we just need to put those into good and timely use. And to private individuals here and abroad, share a little by helping out through donations in cash or in kind or even volunteer work. That would really mean a lot and it's gonna be a big, big help. Let's not stop from just watching the news and feeling bad about what happened. We need to DO something and make a contribution for our fellow Filipinos. 

If you wanna help CALUMPIT and the other affected areas in Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac you can make donations to these well-trusted organizations who can professionally handle your cash and in-kind donations and have a systematic way of distributing it to those who need the most urgent help.

Donate through Sagip Kapamilya

http://www.sagipkapamilya.com/index.php?page=don

Donate through Kapuso Foundation, Inc.

http://www.kapusofoundation.com/donate

Donate through Philippine Red Cross

http://www.redcross.org.ph/donate

If you want to specifically help my hometown Calumpit, I'm going to have a 'DONATE YOUR OLD-CLOTHES MEET-UP' on Friday, October 07, 5pm (tentative) at Trinoma. If you're interested in donating your old clothes and even some relief goods, please coordinate with me through this number: 09179572833. Or you can ask to have a meet-up at The Fort or Makati after my office hours at 2pm starting tomorrow 'til Friday. 

For those who would like to volunteer their car, it would be a great help too. All the help-of-kindness will be very much appreciated.

*Note: If you're gonna send me an SMS, i can only reply after office hours at 2pm. You can email me at dads.valencia@gmail.com or evalencia@teamotd.com though. 

Thank you very much in advance. ^_^

Together, we can MAKE and START a change...

Valero St., Central Balungao, Calumpit, Bulacan. This is the street of the    community where I grew up. I have never experienced such flood for at least 21 years that I lived here. Photo By: Abigail Mercado on Facebook.

A column of residents from Calumpit go on a mass exodus from their village. 

Photo by Rem Zamora for abs-cbnNEWS.com.

FOR THE WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY WISHES AND GREETINGS

I am thankful to my family who have loved me since I was born. I am thankful to my friends and relatives who have known me since I was a little boy. I am thankful to my friends, classmates and peers who have known me for years. I am thankful to my new friends whom I have known for months or just weeks. I am thankful to every good friend I have gained from the previous companies I worked with. I am thankful to my online friends whom I haven't met in person but stays connected and was able to develop a personal friendship built through kindness and trust. I am thankful to my awesome, ever wonderful friends who have stayed with me through thick and thin. And because of this wonderful world of social network, you were able to make me feel special. Every single "Happy Birthday" greeting on my wall means so much to me. Thank you for celebrating this day with me. And lastly, thank you to my BIG GOD who loves me and has always been watching me even before I was born - I am grateful with this no-words-can-explain-this-kind​-of-LIFE. LET US ALL DREAM BIG AND CHASE IT! I LOVE YOU ALL! - Dads :))

It's The 6th Anniversary of My 21st Birthday: Make A Wish For Me

AUGUST 10, 2011. 12:03 AM.


It's my birthday. I decided to write a blog. I'm really not good at this so please forgive me if you see errors along the way and realize I'm not making any sense. Again, it's my birthday so just bear with me, okay?

It's the 6th anniversary of my 21st birthday and I don't know exactly what to feel. (Yeah, I stopped aging at 21 and I'm just celebrating it's anniversary every year. If you think I'm awesome for saying that, haha - i just got it from someone. Well, atleast you first heard it from me and you can always copy. Hehe :) Anyway, I came from work feeling exhausted and it was just the second day of my training. Training was really fast-paced, mostly web-based and you get to apply it right away. Definitely not your typical classroom training when you can have time to chit-chat with your  co-trainees and not pay attention to your trainer. Here, you really need to pay close attention to what you're doing, follow instructions and focus on what you're doing 'cause if not, you're gonna be left behind. I feel glad that I was able to finish all my tasks today before the end of the day especially the script that I will be using for my video shoot tomorrow for my company introduction. Yeah right, I'll be a film actor tomorrow! LOL. Now, you are beginning to get confused about what I'm up to and what's with my new job. I'll explain it on my next blogs. (hopefully).


Exhausted yet happy. My mind's blank. I'm confused. Maybe because I've been out of a job for one and a half months and it's not sinking in to me yet that "Dads, you're gonna be reporting to the office again everyday. And you need to follow rules. You need to learn new skills fast. You need to adjust with the new people you're gonna work with. You can't waste time anymore on Facebook, Twitter and your new baby Google+." Haha. Well, honestly I'm really grateful about this new job and it's like heaven's birthday gift to me. I waited this for more than two months from the time I decided to leave my job in an architectural firm. I saw the job posting, I believed I'm qualified with the position and I thought I can pass the exam - right at that moment, I decided I'm gonna resign. Well, it took months of thinking of course and a lot of considerations, when I had that moment - I thought I was ready for the opportunity. And that's it. I passed the exam the week after, got a job offer with the training schedule that I cannot commit to right away. Of course, I need to resign properly right and finish all my pending tasks. I was supposed to start my training the week after my resignation effectivity but unfortunately it was postponed. And was postponed again. I applied for another position with the same company, but another person was chosen. Weeks passed and finally the day that I have been waiting for has come. We had our Super Saturday last weekend as part of the orientation and getting-to-know activities and started my official first day of training yesterday. That's it.


But why am I here on this job? And why do I need to leave the architectural profession again? Well....IT'S A LONG STORY. I'll explain it later with my next blogs. (hopefully) Just think it this way, this is part of a BIGGER plan and I believe God gave me this opportunity for a purpose. And for the nth time, I am going out of my comfort zone again. This will not be easy but I know I can do it. (I should be telling this to myself now...) I'm considering this as a Back-To-School moment for me where I will be learning new skills, I will be meeting new people, I will be gaining new friends and I will be discovering new passions that will be beneficial for my future plans. Isn't that nice? I'm back to school but I didn't pay any tuition fees - I'm paid to be there instead and a lot of perks comes with it. 


I'm sure not all of you will understand my decisions. Even with my parents, I'm sure I'm gonna have a hard time explaining this to them and make them understand. And that's part of the birthday wishes rather birthday prayers that I wanna get from the people who would like to give me a heartfelt greeting on this (I think) special day of my life. 


You have known me as a Dreamer. Through The Dreamers Pad, I had a medium to share my dreams and aspirations in life, the things that inspire me and motivate me, the people I look up to and serve as my role models, the learnings I had and the challenges I've been facing, even my mistakes and fears and weaknesses. My life has been an open diary to everyone inside my online community and it has been an overwhelming experience to know that I've been touching other people's lives. I can't be the perfect example of  a successful person... yet... but I believe I can be a one simple example of a person dreaming BIG and taking his journey to the so-called place, Land of My Dreams. 


On this day, since it's the 6th Anniversary of my 21st Birthday - let's make this a little different.
Instead of the simple-almost-no-emotion-happy-birthday-greeting-that-you're-gonna-post-on-my-facebook-wall, just do this for me, if you're willing and if you don't get offended with what I just said. Haha (I'm just kidding!) Of course, I appreciate all of your birthday greetings for me. Thank you guys! :) 


I'm gonna be sharing my dreams and goals and you will be choosing one of them and make-a-wish for me that hopefully the universe will make it come true for me. Clear? Ready?


1. MAKE A WISH FOR MY PARENTS. My Nanay is 64, my Tatay is turning 65 this year. This is my most urgent goal - I wanna make them stop working as soon as possible and give them all the comforts in life they truly deserve.
But I do pray that they will understand that I want to do it my way. That working abroad is not the only solution. I want to fulfill my promise without having to lose myself. It's not pride and it's not fear - it's just me. I just want to make a difference. With this kind of risky and unpopular choice, I pray to God every day that He will keep my parents healthy and strong, away from sickness and danger and that they will have more time in this world so that they can still enjoy the comfortable life I wanna give them - as soon as possible. 

2. MAKE A WISH FOR THE WORLD. I said I wanna make a difference. Yes, I am serious about that. I wanna make a difference to other people's lives, create a positive social change, make this world a better place. Having this big idealistic dreams makes me excited to get up every morning and do a-little-something-about-it every single day. It motivates me to make a change for myself, within myself and about myself. I wanna be a better person so that I can be a better example to others. I always pray to God to make me the right person for these dreams. THE DREAMERS PAD is gonna be my way to fulfill these dreams. The Dreamers Pad now has a better mission. A social purpose. I hope and pray that as I go to this direction, more and more people will be open to listen to what I have to share and will be willing to see what's inside The Dreamers Pad. I wish that God will give me more wisdom to do every thing properly and make wise decisions so that I can fulfill my mission to help other people reach their dreams, give the right education children deserve, protect the environment, uplift the lives of the farmers, help the country's economy, and start a-worldwide-movement-of-positive-change. So Help Me God. 

3. MAKE A WISH FOR THE DREAMER IN ME. I have to protect my dreams and the dreamer in me. Without those dreams, I will be nothing. Without that dreamer-in-me, I wouldn't be here in this world anymore. I will just easily give up and maybe give in to all-what-this-cruel-world-has-to-say. It's not easy to live with these dreams running, juggling, tumbling in my mind every day. I wish I can just turn my back on these dreams and walk away but I believe God has planted these dreams in my mind and in my heart for a purpose. And I wanna follow that with all my heart. Please pray and wish for me that I will stay strong and healthy so that I can make all these dreams a reality. Make a wish for me that I will be wiser so that I can make the right choices. Make a wish for me that I will have patience, persistence, confidence and determination to face all the challenges and road blocks along the way so that I can continue to my journey towards the fulfillment of my dreams - not for myself, but for someone else. For my Nanay. For my Tatay. For all my loved ones. For all of you. For the children. For the farmers. For the environment. For this country. And for this world. 

These are my three BIG WISHES for my birthday. You can now make-a-wish for me and pray that  I will stay on the path that God has directed me to. I will appreciate all your comments, opinions, suggestions and violent reactions about the things I wrote here. Please feel free write something here. Thank you, my dear friends and followers. ☺ 


IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! I THANK GOD FOR THIS L1FE. I THANK GOD FOR THESE DREAMS. 
I THANK EVERYONE FOR WISHING ME WELL. 


This is Dads Valencia saying "Dream. Dare. Do.".

-END- 3:01 AM

It's The 6th Anniversary of My 21st Birthday: Make A Wish For Me

AUGUST 10, 2011. 12:03 AM.


It's my birthday. I decided to write a blog. I'm really not good at this so please forgive me if you see errors along the way and realize I'm not making any sense. Again, it's my birthday so just bear with me, okay?


It's the 6th anniversary of my 21st birthday and I don't know exactly what to feel. (Yeah, I stopped aging at 21 and I'm just celebrating it's anniversary every year. If you think I'm awesome for saying that, haha - i just got it from someone. Well, atleast you first heard it from me and you can always copy. Hehe :) Anyway, I came from work feeling exhausted and it was just the second day of my training. Training was really fast-paced, mostly web-based and you get to apply it right away. Definitely not your typical classroom training when you can have time to chit-chat with your  co-trainees and not pay attention to your trainer. Here, you really need to pay close attention to what you're doing, follow instructions and focus on what you're doing 'cause if not, you're gonna be left behind. I feel glad that I was able to finish all my tasks today before the end of the day especially the script that I will be using for my video shoot tomorrow for my company introduction. Yeah right, I'll be a film actor tomorrow! LOL. Now, you are beginning to get confused about what I'm up to and what's with my new job. I'll explain it on my next blogs. (hopefully).


Exhausted yet happy. My mind's blank. I'm confused. Maybe because I've been out of a job for one and a half months and it's not sinking in to me yet that "Dads, you're gonna be reporting to the office again everyday. And you need to follow rules. You need to learn new skills fast. You need to adjust with the new people you're gonna work with. You can't waste time anymore on Facebook, Twitter and your new baby Google+." Haha. Well, honestly I'm really grateful about this new job and it's like heaven's birthday gift to me. I waited this for more than two months from the time I decided to leave my job in an architectural firm. I saw the job posting, I believed I'm qualified with the position and I thought I can pass the exam - right at that moment, I decided I'm gonna resign. Well, it took months of thinking of course and a lot of considerations, when I had that moment - I thought I was ready for the opportunity. And that's it. I passed the exam the week after, got a job offer with the training schedule that I cannot commit to right away. Of course, I need to resign properly right and finish all my pending tasks. I was supposed to start my training the week after my resignation effectivity but unfortunately it was postponed. And was postponed again. I applied for another position with the same company, but another person was chosen. Weeks passed and finally the day that I have been waiting for has come. We had our Super Saturday last weekend as part of the orientation and getting-to-know activities and started my official first day of training yesterday. That's it.


But why am I here on this job? And why do I need to leave the architectural profession again? Well....IT'S A LONG STORY. I'll explain it later with my next blogs. (hopefully) Just think it this way, this is part of a BIGGER plan and I believe God gave me this opportunity for a purpose. And for the nth time, I am going out of my comfort zone again. This will not be easy but I know I can do it. (I should be telling this to myself now...) I'm considering this as a Back-To-School moment for me where I will be learning new skills, I will be meeting new people, I will be gaining new friends and I will be discovering new passions that will be beneficial for my future plans. Isn't that nice? I'm back to school but I didn't pay any tuition fees - I'm paid to be there instead and a lot of perks comes with it. 


I'm sure not all of you will understand my decisions. Even with my parents, I'm sure I'm gonna have a hard time explaining this to them and make them understand. And that's part of the birthday wishes rather birthday prayers that I wanna get from the people who would like to give me a heartfelt greeting on this (I think) special day of my life. 


You have known me as a Dreamer. Through The Dreamers Pad, I had a medium to share my dreams and aspirations in life, the things that inspire me and motivate me, the people I look up to and serve as my role models, the learnings I had and the challenges I've been facing, even my mistakes and fears and weaknesses. My life has been an open diary to everyone inside my online community and it has been an overwhelming experience to know that I've been touching other people's lives. I can't be the perfect example of  a successful person... yet... but I believe I can be a one simple example of a person dreaming BIG and taking his journey to the so-called place, Land of My Dreams. 


On this day, since it's the 6th Anniversary of my 21st Birthday - let's make this a little different.
Instead of the simple-almost-no-emotion-happy-birthday-greeting-that-you're-gonna-post-on-my-facebook-wall, just do this for me, if you're willing and if you don't get offended with what I just said. Nonetheless, I appreciate all of your birthday greetings for me. Thank you guys! :) 


I'm gonna be sharing my dreams and goals and you will be choosing one of them and make-a-wish for me that hopefully the universe will make it come true for me. Clear? Ready?


1. MAKE A WISH FOR MY PARENTS. My Nanay is 64, my Tatay is turning 65 this year. This is my most urgent goal - I wanna make them stop working as soon as possible and give them all the comforts in life they truly deserve.
But I do pray that they will understand that I want to do it my way. That working abroad is not the only solution. I want to fulfill my promise without having to lose myself. It's not pride and it's not fear - it's just me. I just want to make a difference. With this kind of risky and unpopular choice, I pray to God every day that He will keep my parents healthy and strong, away from sickness and danger and that they will have more time in this world so that they can still enjoy the comfortable life I wanna give them - as soon as possible. 

2. MAKE A WISH FOR THE WORLD. I said I wanna make a difference. Yes, I am serious about that. I wanna make a difference to other people's lives, create a positive social change, make this world a better place. Having this big idealistic dreams makes me excited to get up every morning and do a-little-something-about-it every single day. It motivates me to make a change for myself, within myself and about myself. I wanna be a better person so that I can be a better example to others. I always pray to God to make me the right person for these dreams. THE DREAMERS PAD is gonna be my way to fulfill these dreams. The Dreamers Pad now has a better mission. A social purpose. I hope and pray that as I go to this direction, more and more people will be open to listen to what I have to share and will be willing to see what's inside The Dreamers Pad. I wish that God will give me more wisdom to do every thing properly and make wise decisions so that I can fulfill my mission to help other people reach their dreams, give the right education children deserve, protect the environment, uplift the lives of the farmers, help the country's economy, and start a-worldwide-movement-of-positive-change. So Help Me God. 

3. MAKE A WISH FOR THE DREAMER IN ME. I have to protect my dreams and the dreamer in me. Without those dreams, I will be nothing. Without that dreamer-in-me, I wouldn't be here in this world anymore. I will just easily give up and maybe give in to all-what-this-cruel-world-has-to-say. It's not easy to live with these dreams running, juggling, tumbling in my mind every day. I wish I can just turn my back on these dreams and walk away but I believe God has planted these dreams in my mind and in my heart for a purpose. And I wanna follow that with all my heart. Please pray and wish for me that I will stay strong and healthy so that I can make all these dreams a reality. Make a wish for me that I will be wiser so that I can make the right choices. Make a wish for me that I will have patience, persistence, confidence and determination to face all the challenges and road blocks along the way so that I can continue to my journey towards the fulfillment of my dreams - not for myself, but for someone else. For my Nanay. For my Tatay. For all my loved ones. For all of you. For the children. For the farmers. For the environment. For this country. And for this world. 

These are my three BIG WISHES for my birthday. You can now make-a-wish for me and pray that  I will stay on the path that God has directed me to. I will appreciate all your comments, opinions, suggestions and violent reactions about the things I wrote here. Please feel free write something here. Thank you, my dear friends and followers. ☺ 


IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! I THANK GOD FOR THIS L1FE. I THANK GOD FOR THESE DREAMS. 
I THANK EVERYONE FOR WISHING ME WELL. 


This is Dads Valencia saying "Dream. Dare. Do.".

-END- 3:01 AM

Welcome To The Dreamers' Pad

WELCOME TO THE DREAMER'S PAD!

(Imported from my Facebook Page - THE DREAMER'S PAD)

This pad is for you all BIG DREAMERS where you can share your dreams from the simplest, to the craziest, to the grandest dreams you have. If you're thinking that it's insane to DREAM AGAIN... Well, WAKE UP! You can still dream like a kid and i'm gonna help you find that kid again inside you. That is if you're gonna let me. ^_^

THE DREAMER'S PAD is for you and me. I'll take you to the places where i want to go and you can take me to the places where you want to go too. Let's take a road trip from Manila to Sagada, or beach bumming in Boracay
or Panglao. Or maybe spend a couple of weeks in Batanes and do some soul searching while loving the peace and quiet of this wonderful paradise. Let's fly to Paris and fall in love again. But not with me, it's with the one you LOVE. Cheesy as it is??!! Haha. ☺

Let's do all the crazy stuff together and all the extreme sports we can try - let's go bungee jumping in Australia, mountain climbing in New Zealand, sky diving in the US, skinny dipping in Brazil. Skinny Dipping? LOL! Erase! Erase! We're wholesome here. Just a little naughty and nice. ?

But I'd like to make it clear. that this page is not about WISHING and HOPING... This is about DREAMING and MAKING IT ALL COME TRUE.. Yes, you can ask me how?... Well, it's just a matter of thinking and believing. I
BELIEVE WE CAN MAKE ALL OUR DREAMS COME TRUE. Just continue dreaming and believing and DON'T QUIT! =)

So. let me take you to this journey of fulfilling my dreams and let us fulfill your own dreams too by learning with me, by getting the right attitude, by attracting all the positive energies in the world, by meeting new friends like you who have big dreams too, by applying the lessons I'm learning from all the mentors I've got and by practicing the "Dreaming BIG attitude" until it becomes permanent! And I know I can learn from you as well! Ayt?

I'm not trying to be a hero, nor a celebrity and definitely i'm not an aspiring politician... I just want to inspire people in my own little ways - and that's one of my dreams i'd like to come true. And this is what I thought of doing for now... I know one day, I'll be a greater influence to other people and to our community... Isn't that a ONE GREAT DREAM? ^o^

And who's this talking Dreamer?..

I'm just an average boy from an average family in an average community. I went to an average school and had an average friends. I'm now working in an average company, earning an average salary, staying in an average apartment, and living an average lifestyle. I guess everything about me is just AVERAGE except for one thing - i DO NOT have an AVERAGE DREAM. I'M A BIG DREAMER and I DREAM OF LIVING AN EXTRA-ORDINARY ABOVE-AVERAGE LIFE!

Do you think it's impossible? I don't think so..... =p

"It is time to dream. It is time to care about something bigger than you. It is time to imagine something sorely needed in the world - the world you live in - that somebody would pay to have. It is time to look around you and ask yourself, "What's missing in this picture.?" - Michael E. Gerber (Awakening the Entrepreneur Within) ☺