SAY IT WITH FASHION

 Not-your-ordinary fashion show, best explains the event held last May 24, 2016 at the Centrio AyalaMall Event Center.

SAY IT WITH FASHION, a fashion show hosted by Faith and Light Cagayan De Oro, aimed to raise awareness of down syndrome individuals to the community through a runway show featuring masterpieces of CDO's local designers and Mags Fashion Boutique. Assisting the kids were Faith and Light CDO volunteers and local models.

Faith and Light is an international non-profit organization founded by Jean Vanier and Marie-Hélène Mathieu in 1971. The purpose of which is to assist individuals with learning disabilities. In Cagayan De Oro, Faith and Light Ministry was created by the St. Francis Xavier Church in Pueblo De Oro, with parish priest Msgr. Boy Salvador.

Every 3^rd Sunday of the month, Faith and Light CDO holds various activities for the down-syndrome children. Among these activities were: icing decoration by Monster Kitchen, clay molding, rosary-making, and candle-decorating.

For the month of May, Faith and Light CDO core group decided to host a fashion show, with the help of Centrio Mall and the city’s local designers. The event was graced by Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, S.J, D.D., and local designers who participated and sponsored the models’ formal wear were Gil Macaibay, Boogie Rivera, Benjie Manuel, Mark Magallanes, and Mark Yaranon, among others. The show was directed by Vince Arenas and attended by families, friends and random mall-goers.

It was a good opportunity for the Kagayanons to know the Faith and Light Community. And it was indeed, a great experience for our down-syndrome friends to have walked the runway like the celebrity models they see on tv and magazines.

Truly, it was an experience to remember!

Faith and Light CDO holds activities every 3^rd Sunday of the month with each session uniquely themed. Regular sessions are facilitated by Connie Cabreira, Mae Jumangit, Aldrin Valdehueza, Malou Aquino, and Dra. Barba, among others.

To be part of the Faith and Light family, you may visit St. Francis Xavier Church every 3^rd Sunday. The community is looking for volunteers to assist the kids, as well as the parents and guardians during the counselling sessions. You are welcome! J

Small, Big, and Big Big

Years back, there was a commercial ad about this. I can’t remember clearly, but I guess that was for a bubble gum. As a kid, my mom would always tell me about the power of small things – how I should pick up a peso or even a centavo on the ground, reminding me that a million peso wouldn’t add up to that if it weren’t for the few pesos.

Growing up, I’d see to it I appreciate the little things. My Dad would always tell me to start small - with my Kuya even having this idea of being a janitor first before being a top executive. I took that principle with me as I grew up. Although I dream big, I start acting with small things.

Small, Big, and Big Big. I’d like to always believe that before hitting big, all things start small. A sturdy tree started as seed. An old man started as an infant. A typhoon started as raindrops; an avalanche, snowdrops. A huge painting started with a few artistic sketches; a beautiful garden, few flowers.

I guess point being, is we never forget the small things. Small things make up the big, and the big big. A tiny act of negligence can result to bigger problems. A random gossip can turn into a mainstream controversy. A small group of tree planters can contribute big in the ecosystem.

We must bear in mind, that no matter how small our actions are, these can resonate a gazillion fold. Our negative vibes in the morning can ruin everybody else’s day. Our smile and laughter can probably be contagious to a whole lot of people. Our personal decision can probably impact the bigger community.

So remember: Small, Big, and Big Big. J

Friends

by the psycho wanderer
http://urbanlife.mindanaogoldstardaily.com/friends/

There will always be those times when we’ll have to part ways with friends and compel ourselves to move forward with our lives; that time when we’ll secretly shed tears for a friend leaving the city, or migrating abroad, or permanently residing in the skies.

For grade school/high school students, it’s the change of class section or school. For college graduates, it’s leaving the school or city for good. For yuppies, it’s leaving for greener pastures. For everyone, it’s that never ending cycle of sad goodbyes and sweet hellos.

So I ask myself sometimes, what is friendship?

As I browse through my Facebook feeds the infinite number of despedida pictures and new work photos, I realize that distance doesn’t change friendships. It actually transcends from domestic to international level of relationship. It means extending into global reach. The local city crib turns into an international hangout place.

So for you, what is friendship?

Friendship is like a second home/family that gives you a sense of belongingness, where you can be yourself with no reservations. – Karen Dandasan, 27, Richmond-British Columbia

Friendship is having that same frequency and having an understanding with nonverbal communication. – Lyka Yutuc, 26, Muntinlupa-PH

Friendship is being with a friend not just in times of bliss, but also in times of sorrow. – Burt Aurelio, 30, Las Piñas-PH

Friendship is like a ship, you will know who will stay when things get bad. – Jane Daquita, 25, Makati-PH

Friendship is being able to have a conversation with just one look. – Caressa Cabrera Nala, 27, Dubai-UAE

Friendship is “busy ka?” – hindi – “tara.” – Kaye Jumangit, 27, Cagayan De Oro-PH

Friendship is an expression of love that doesn’t turn bitter. – Shin Singson, 21, Cagayan De Oro-PH

Friendship is an unchanged connection won over time and distance. – Mika Comique, 27, Architect, Cagayan De Oro-PH

Friendship means being there for that person when the rest of the world walks out. – Nikki Gue, 25, Proprietor-Nikki’s Treats

Friendship is that family bond I chose and Spirit of God has guided me towards. – Ricky John, 27, NGO Relations Philippines

Friendship is laughing at someone so hard when they are down, then you do all you can to pick them up, and then laugh again so hard. – Jheyz Saljob, 28, Bulacan-PH

Friendship is that intangible string that binds you with the people you want to be with along with life’s journey. – Macky Acorda, 27, Co-Founder, brewingabetteryou.com

Friendship is like having a mother who will scold you, a father who will defend you, an elder sibling who will bully you, and a younger sibling who will be clingy. – Mark Raphael Ferraris Justiniano, 27, Cebu-PH

For me, friendship is:

Photo taken years back. “Nice” travelled from Singapore to PH after she learned of an emergency back home. Friends met Nice at NAIA 3 to accompany her wait for her trip to Cagayan De Oro on the same day she travelled to PH. This happened on a weekday and one friend just messaged everyone to meet at NAIA 3.

The meaning of friendship differs from one person to another. It’s basically subjective. That’s why sometimes we wonder why some of our frenemies have real-life friends. It’s because they share the same interests and sometimes the same stories. We cannot ask someone to not be friends with a particular person, because a real friend sees right through. You may not see one person as a friend but others may have.

Friendship is a second home. It’s a second family. It’s that place where we want to be all day and night aside from our families and lifetime partners. Real friends inspire us. Real friends confront us. Real friends help us move forward with our lives. And when we’re too stubborn to move forward, they understand us and sometimes just let us be.

Some friends leave us. Some friends stay. But those that leave us are just always there. Sometimes, they’re with us like guardian angels. Sometimes they’re just going through something that’s why they’re at a distant. Sometimes they choose to be with themselves for a while and we just wait until when they’re ready. We communicate through our hearts and spirits. That’s why most of the answers I guess referred to comfortable silence and sense of belongingness.

It’s all about being friends with like-minded dreamers. It’s being comfortable with ourselves in their presence. It’s being able to speak without talking, cry without bawling, and love without saying. It’s being who we are without being judged. It’s being us without being questioned.

There will always be differences and petty fights. But at the end of the day, the friendship remains. So, the next time a friend goes somewhere, think of it as a new hangout place. When a friend says goodbye, you reply with: Yes! Roadtrips! New hangout!, or guardian angels.

In GOOD-byes, we don’t really part ways, we just move into other places.