OrgForward.com 2.0

Check out the new OrgForward.com website. Made some major changes with the site design early this year. I'm going for a more blog type feel to it. I'm using Wordpress as my base system and found a nice template design perfect for OrgForward. Tweaked some stuff with the code and the CSS. Really hope that launching the 2.0 version of the site this school year will be a success. Partnered with EntrepBuff for some video contant. Still partnering with Dare It Forward and Starfish magazine.

2,500 USD for OrgForward.com

I'm will enter OrgForward.com to the I Will Teach You To Be Rich Scholarship for Social Innovation. It won't hurt if I try. I hope my application is compelling enough for me to deserve the scholarship.

Halloween at Simi Valley

I joined my nephew out for trick or treating today. Was able to get a feel of the Americana culture of this holiday. My nephew is 7 years old. He's falls on the lower bracket of the Halloween franchise, so the trick or treating is G rated. It didn't last long. I joined them, along with the other parents, go to around just a block of houses. After that, everyone went back to the 'host's' house where the adults socialized drank some alcohol and ate some chili while the kids played with each other in one of the rooms there.

My cousin introduced me to the folks there and they were very accommodating. They don't get a lot of Asian visitors around that predominantly white neighborhood. It's funny how one of them remarked how good my English was. Just goes to show how less she knows about Filipinos. There was another lady who figured out that I was Filipino, because of how I speak. Her sister in law is a Filipina and she can only say nice things of her. And there was this guy too who was embarrassed to tell me that he hasn't traveled as far over to the east.

I remember this book about the 10 Things you can do to help the Philippines and one of the things there was to speak highly of our country to other nationalities. I'm a proud Filipino and the world should know that people from our country are well educated and good natured. I'm glad I did my motherland proud a while ago.

On success and making a difference

It's nice to find out that there are other people out there who pursue the same things that I hold important. K, A college mate of mine emailed me two days ago telling me how he found OrgForward.com very interesting. And how he and his business partners also came up with a business called EntrepBuff, a profitable yet socially relevant venture. Although I was not surprised that they're pursuing this, it still gave me a good vibe that they we're actually and similarly doing something to make a difference. That I am not alone in this. We are not alone. And it so nice that I learn of that people I know from college too are pursuing these type of endeavors. "Civic-minded" batchmates as C describes it when I watched a fund raising concert she organized for the special children of Ang Arko ng Pilipinas.

I've always thought that Ateneo played a big role in me ending up like this. Maybe it's the Theo and Philo classes, the orgs I became active on, ASLA, or the different people I interacted with throughout my four year stay in college. Whatever it was, it sure did change my perspective on success and brought "making a difference" to a whole new level.

TED: Ideas worth spreading

I love TED.com! Great talks, perfect to download or watch online. Will I ever make it to speak there? Short term goal is to watch it live. TED.com

Bulong by Pedro Valdez

Watched Bulong last Saturday at Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street. I intended to go because I read about it on the newspaper last last Saturday. It got me interested because from the article, Pedro Valdez, the director, intended the film for the youth. With the whole orgforward.com thing in the works, I felt that I needed to catch this film to see if its for real. Good thing I remembered the screening since I had an hour to kill before going to mag:net and watch the band my friend L is managing, Bembol Rockers. When I reached Fully Booked, the place seemed like there was no viewing whatsoever, so I just carried on thinking maybe I jumbled up the dates. Funny thing I bumped into two people from college, and they told me that they were about to watch Bulong but couldn't find the viewing place. Since I was killing time, I tagged along until we found the viewing room hidden on the basement of the 5 floor bookstore. Looks like I'd get to watch after all.

The movie was made really well. Great picture, sound, directing, editing, acting, set design, the whole package. It looked like they really spent a lot for this production. I am not an avid watcher of art films, indie films and short films because sometimes I feel that they get to artsy for me that I end up getting lost with what the film is trying to say. Bulong got my mind worked up. In a good way. There were a lot of things going on, and a lot of thinking was spurred up as the movie progressed. The film got me thinking throughout the whole 20min. What does this film trying to say, yada yada yada. Good thing, after the show was an open forum with the director and the whole team. The movie was became clearer me after that. I'm really glad I watched it. It's really perfect for orgforward.com. One of the requests of Pedro for the audience was to help him get the word out thorough blogs and such media. Ting, orgforward! i went up to Pedro right after the viewing and told him that I could help him get the word out. He gave me his contact and we'll see how we can work things with Bulong.

Good thing I bumped into B and G since I was already okay with missing the screening. Seemed like the law of attraction was there to make sure that I be there at the right place and time.

My new Converse (PRODUCT) RED Skid Grips

It's now or never. I didn't want to delay myself from buying these shoes. I feel that the opportunity is right to buy me one of those Converse slip-ons. Not only do I want to contribute to the Global Fund, I also want to help in getting the word out there. It's a statement I can wear. An advocacy I like everyone to know about.

Although, honestly, battling AIDS is not one of life advocacies. But, I still believe in the power of this campaign. We can be heroes in our own way. As the shoe tag line would say, there is no such thing as small change.

Just to share what was written on the tag that comes with the shoe. Converse (PRODUCT) RED presents an original way of thinking about shoes, creativity, and doing good. Basically, you buy the shoes you would've bought anyway, but you buy them in RED.



And of course, it looks good. What a consolation!

INSPI(RED) about (PRODUCT) RED

I stumbled upon the GAP website while surfing at work and I came across a particular line of shirts. It looked familiar because I saw these just the weekend before but in a Converse store, and they were marked on shoes. The GAP shirt was red and it had INSPI(RED) on it while the Converse shoe had different (RED) words all over. Like, INSPI(RED) ADMI(RED) DESI(RED) etc. It looked really familiar since I remember seeing a (RED) sign somewhere else. Like on a billboard or poster. But I really don't remember. Hehehe.



Anyway, GAP and Converse are both partners with this movement called (PRODUCT) RED. It's a campaign to help the Global Fund for AIDS. They partner with the private sector. Mostly consumer goods like clothing and electronics. A certain percentage upon purchase of the (PRODUCT) RED product goes directly to the Global Fund, and 100% of this fund is used for AIDS grants in Ghana, Rwanda and Swaziland. Other partners are Armani, Motorola, Apple, Dell, and Microsoft.

Makes me want to get me a pair of those Converse slip-on shoes. Besides, I've been wanting to buy new shoes. This time though, I get to contribute to something bigger than myself.

I'm so inspired about this campaign that I want to start something like it. But of course for a different cause. Which cause? Of course, something that's close to my heart. Something that has to do with the youth/education/leadership/nation building/social change kinda thing. Just now, I felt this rush that made me realize how small I really am. The task to make a difference seems so daunting. But you got to at least try, right? Who knows you just might do more good that you initially expected. It's all in the heart, I suppose.

Learn more about (PRODUCT) RED by visiting their website joinred.com and their blog.

*Can someone buy me that GAP hoodie?