Calaidescope World

Share the Love

Last September, my friend Jen celebrated her birthday at St. Rita's Orphanage in Sucat, Paranaque. I must say, even if I'm not very fond of children (I only have love and patience for my 7 godchildren. Hahaha!), it was one of the best afternoons of my life.

Jen has always been the "giving" kind and is active in quite a number of non-profit organisations. Very admirable, indeed. Evey year, she would donate to causes she believes in rather than throw a big all-out booze fest. Two years ago, she held a badminton tournament where the winning team had to choose one of three non-profit organisations to donate their prize money to. Unique, don't you think?

This year, Jen invited a group of friends to party with the kids, plus professional photographer Owie (who used to work for The Picture Company) to take pictures of the toddler orphans. These pictures were used to make a little photo collage for each child. You should have seen us trying to make the kids laugh or simply smile. So tiring! I hope that my niece Layla grows up to be one of those kids who enjoy being infront of the camera (and I don't mean as an artista!)

I brought my camera for some "target practice". Of course, I enjoyed the "controlled environment" that Owie created with the lamps, reflectors and all. And I was just in awe with her Canon digital SLR!

I received a great deal of satisfaction on many levels that day. From the selfish wanna-be photographer point of view, I was surprised that I had more than 3 good shots per roll of film (and I don't use PhotoShop when I post my pictures online!). Technically, they are not the best photographs ever taken. But I was very pleased with the angles, the framing, the composition. I could have positioned myself better to take advantage of the light, and I could have used other settings to bring out more contrast. But I like to think that I am improving somewhat. God, I so love my 105mm (thanks, Pop)! To view some of my favorites, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/68245341@N00/sets/1273902/ .

From a socio-economic perspective, I was geniunely humbled by the opportunity to make even a small contribution to the orphanage (thanks, Jen!). We all donated clothes, food, toys, and cash. Back in High School, Bianca and I were very active in student organisations that visited the underprivileged and made donations to help improve their standards of living. It was a constant reminder of the sacrifices our Mom made to make us live comfortably. We made frequent visits to Smokey Mountain, and to Apello Cruz in Pasay City. To this day, I cannot forget Vina, the little girl who refused to leave her mother in Smokey Mountain even if she had a chance to be adopted by another family who could provide her with a "better" life and an education. And the family in Apello Cruz that opened the one and only can of corned beef they had (and they were saving it for Christmas!) so they could feed us. It's amazing how much one can learn from those one is trying to help.

It has been years since I have done something "worthwhile". I could never describe how good it feels to actually make even just a teeny-weeny difference in someone's life. Count your blessings, all. I end each day by counting mine.

I think a charitable donation in my friends' names (in lieu of Christmas gifts) is in order. It's the least we can do to share the love. So to all my friends - don't expect anything fancy from me this year. You all know how much I love you, anyway =)

posted by Calai @ 3:16 PM