Liv's latest adventure around the globe

It’s good to be back in the Philippines for the holiday season. The spirit has truly started ever since the "ber" months(SeptemBER, OctoBER,etc.) have started as people started to look forward to the holiday season. Much more than just the craze of Christmas shopping, the time when people are able to find time to get together and truly spend quality time with each other.

The month of December is the peak of all reunions, parties and get-togethers that entails gift giving & endless buffet of yummy Christmas delicacies. Even if I have been back home the past 3 months already, this month was the time when I got to see most of my old friends once again or simply have a complete family gathering.

I suddenly begin to treasure the Christmas time I can be with my family, with the photo showing my last Christmas celebration with them back in 2003. Yet it was never too late for me to catch up with them at these times, as I truly savor the moment I can be with them since I will be away again for the coming year.

I have a very small but very close knit family whom we call the Quitevis Clan. We are 9 cousins, and 2 sisters left from the 2nd generation(my mom and her sis), and 1 niece and 1 nephew. The family tries to get larger as well with the husbands and wives, and also try to welcome as part of the family any significant other of any of us. Some are simply significant on their own way, without the "other", yet has already been part of our family just like JM & Tinii. With such family I think I am really blessed to know that even if I am always wandering around the world, I know that I can always count on them wherever I am. The bond stays through thick and thin, and they would definitely stand by me to guide me through my life.

So for those "homeless" individuals who may have left their families back home, you are definitely welcome to join me on this special day. I definitely know how it is from last year. Until a great AI CEEDer named Rob adopted a few of us for that Christmas eve(given the fact that he haven't even met me since I just came back from country visits). Nevertheless, you can always create your family within AIESECers' families and call them your own. :)

And as Christmas is a time of continuing traditions, not only among families but also among friends that you can always rely on.

What started to be a goodbye Christmas party on our last year in the LC last 2002, continued on throughout the years to be a time to reunite with everyone. Each year we had “exchange-gifts” where we simply bring something meaningful for a very small amount of money. There comes in the creativity of what you can give with a small amount, and at the same time not putting early judgment on how a gift is wrapped to what it actually is. For it sometimes appears that those wrapped in simple envelopes, included something much more than just the packaging.

This is also definitely the perfect moment for more events to be celebrated, of which I got to meet people once again. We just had the APXLDS Launch at Temple Bar in Greenbelt, which was showcasing to the people about an international conference that would be held here in the Philippines in March. It was also a time for the alumni to be re-linked to AIESEC, including those people I would consider members during “my time”, who have long been considered an alumni. It was great being able to connect back to the people I started with, in AIESEC, as well as the continuing generation of people I am still able to connect with(one can never feel old with AIESECers around).

AIESEC days are definitely not yet over and I still get involved with simple get together with all our members. One of which included a surprise celebration for one of the DHL trainees, Dean from India. It was supposed to be a surprise dinner party that ended up to be a midnight snack as it took him quite some time to be convinced to go home immediately! At least we were able to still see him since, for awhile, we were worried that we were the ones who would be surprised if he’s turning up or not.

Pinilit na lubayan mapaso sa pag-ibig
Ngunit tila wala namang mawawala,
Kundi ay mapupuno pa ng pagmamahalan
Na ngayo'y tila mahirap malimutan.

Saan nga ba patutungo, ako'y lito
Mga tanong di ko matanto, o mahal ko.
Siguro'y isang pinto aking mapuntahan
Pero sana'y patungo pa din sa ating mga puso.

Some things in life were only shared to us for a short period of time… and we are aware of that. Only that we don’t know for how much longer can we enjoy what we have now, so much that we sometimes wouldn’t want to accept when it’s ended.

It has been a tough week for me, having to let go of some aspects in life that I knew from the start were meant to only last for awhile. From people I cared to people I just seem to ignore but see the relevance when it was all gone. All stories have to have its ending, just that sometimes it goes along the lines of this during a eulogy: and they lived happily ever after, once upon a time.

But what does it really mean to come to the end of life? Why is death such a hard thing to face once it's there? One aspect would be for that person’s self realization of the highlights of his/her life. A greater aspect would then be the realization of the people that was left behind towards his/her life. Had we known today was the last day, would we have done things differently? Would our decisions have changed if we realize that tomorrow we’ll be losing that person forever?

However we plan to do things in life, it will still come to that end and it will still hurt no matter what. Peace of mind comes when you don’t have questions and regrets, only good memories to share. It will still hurt from time to time to bear those memories, but at least it’s not about something that you should’ve done or said.

How to move ahead with the pain, that I am still searching, in order to continue with the life that’s still given to me. Now, that’s something I’m thankful about.

Failure isn’t so bad if it doesn’t attack the Heart
Success is all right if it doesn’t go to the Head

-Grantland Rice 7

It’s always tough being able to find a balance between the heart and the mind. For one feels, while the other thinks, of which some contradictions may lead to the anxiety of the other. Worse, is when the heart is strongly bursting what it feels against something that’s just logical, and emotions are harder to control compared to how a mind would usually respond.

Yet, at this stage of my life, the toughest decisions have just been made. My heart still battles with my mind, if it was the right thing to do or not. On the other hand, it’s a matter of moving ahead with it, and hope that in time, my heart will heal with what my mind had to say.

For now, I can just wait for that moment when someone’s mind would listen to what my heart says.

Interesting to see AIESEC Philippines' MC 0304 & MC 0405 members as part of the OC team, facing the current MC 0506 team and reviewing on the game plan for the conference preparation.

Not only did I really enjoy having a cool and relaxed meeting (with something to eat brought to us by OCP Cris to keep us all active). I also remembered how I enjoyed personally, each of their company, either just making fun of things or simply discussing the most intense of the change process or any legislation for that matter.

So for those of you who are still involved in AIESEC, don’t miss out this great opportunity to attend APXLDS on March which would be held here in the Philippines. For more information visit the website at www.apxlds2006.com and watch out more updates at the APXLDS 2006 community.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to welcome you personally to my lovely country, but there would definitely a whole bunch of great people to greet you with their warm hospitality.