Walking The Dream

Was it only three years ago? When The Salitype Society group of blogging friends at Friendster came together to put up a blog where they will call "bahay kubo"- which means nipa hut.

picture of bahay kubo by Zen

The move was not so much because they foresaw Friendster being dissolved at that time and disappear into thin air. The move was because they dreamed of building a home outside of Friendster with hopes that their time together celebrating friendship online will generate income which they will use to help give a child a fair chance in life.

Though we downsized from a mansion to a bahay kubo, but we had many rooms. Our rooms include: cooking made easy, travelougue, chic a la mode, Poetic Murmurings, Inspirational Stories, Craft Bug, Fun with Photos, Flower Hunt, and Varied themes. The creation of this multiple themes was based from what our topics were always were at Friendster, with hopes of "walking the dream" together. Our dream: transform some of our leisure time online to bring a positive difference to a child's life.

 

Congratulations To Our First Scholar who Recently Graduated from Elementary, thank you Micah for being a gift to The Salitype Society

A little bit of our history: 

The Salitype Society was founded July 2008 at Friendster. But it was in April 2009 that they dreamed together of moving their mansion to blogger, a place they can call home of their own. They dreamed that their new home would be able to generate enough income to send a child to school, somebody with a name, a face.  May 2009, The Salitype Society was born in blogger. 

Yes, it was three years ago, not so long ago, that this site was born. December of 2009, this site was able to generate enough income to support its first scholar, Micah Ramirez, who was Grade 4 then. Time flies, now Micah graduated in elementary and is going to high school. We are now entering the 4th school year of supporting Micah. From elementary....to high school....maybe to college, God willing and with God's blessings, we hope to walk the dream with Micah, and now, with Nonoy, The Salitype Society second scholar.

The Salitype Society Second Scholar

We also found Nonoy from Tapulanga Foundation. We are grateful to Tapulanga Foundation for allowing The Salitype Society's celebration of friendship in this site extend to Micah and Nonoy. If you are thinking of also sponsoring a child, and want to learn more about Tapulanga Foundation, you can click the link here in this post, or the "send a child to school" icon we have in the right side menu of this site.

Three years ago, we move from Friendster to here. Now, Friendster is gone, but this site continues to live on. Each time one of us remembers to share her thoughts here (contributing posts, commenting, etc), the "bahay kubo" becomes transformed to a "Mansion" of happiness. We pray that the celebration of friendship continues and live in our hearts, and in the process of celebrating the joys of friendship, we will be walking the dream we have founded three years ago. 

Tebowing

Tebowing

The first time I have heard of Tebowing, was when I was on top of Potato Chip Rock doing my boogie boarding in the sky pose. 

While I was on top of Potato Chip Rock, some were telling me, "do the tebowing!" At that time, I had no idea at all what they meant. As soon as I went down the rock, some guys did their tebowing near the edge. They were kneeling with one hand reaching the forehead. I thought their pose was cute. While we were walking back to Lake Poway, some hikers asked us to take them a group picture. While having their camera, I casually asked them, without even knowing what is it, "would you want to do tebowing?" And they replied, "No, we are Chargers fan!" It was only then I realized that "tebowing" is about Tim Tebow. Since then, I I forgot about Tebowing. I support local, so I always cheer for San Diego Chargers and San Diego Padres. For basketball, I cheer for Los Angeles Lakers, because we do not have a basketball team in San Diego.
Then, the concept of tebowing was brought up to me again when I shared my picture of boogie boarding in the sky in Facebook.

Boogie Boarding In The Sky ( but often times mistaken as planking)

One of my friends said, "planking Beth, next, tebowing." That time, I did not have an idea either what planking is. I surfed both online what they mean, and I learned that planking is to lie face down and stiff like a log with hands straight on the sides. I learned that "tebowing" is inspired by Tim Tebow's action where he gets down on his knee and starts praying, even if everyone else is doing something completely different. I was not very comfortable then of doing the "tebowing" pose because:
1. I am not a Tim Tebow fan, I cheer for my local team, win or lose, which is San Diego Chargers.
2. I respect Tim Tebow's praying action, and I did not want to pose like him afraid of being mistaken as a fan, or afraid of being mistaken I am mocking the act of praying because I am not really praying but simply copying Tim Tebow. Between planking and tebowing, I was more comfortable doing the planking and had fun with the pose so many times, especially after a long hike.
So, what made me changed my mind and finally did a "Tebowing pose?" Two things!

tebowing- can't help but be thankful for our beautiful world and for wonderful people

1. When I do "tebowing", I am showing my thankfulness and appreciation for wonderful and purpose driven people, such as Tim Tebow! When I appreciate Tim Tebow, it does not make me a Denver Broncos Fan. I appreciate him as a person, and for all the good things he does through his foundation of healing the sick and proclaiming the Kingdom of God.
2. When I do "tebowing", I am glad and thankful to Tim Tebow for partnering with Cure to build a hospital in the Philippines.

Tim Tebow Announces the Tebow CURE Hospital from CURE Video on Vimeo.

When I read this news in yahoo, tears went down flowing(because I simply dismissed him before), I was touched by his words, totally inspired and dumbfounded. Why did I dismiss him before as creating a "tebow mania" which football-wise, I thought he did not deserve? But then, how many talented athletes and superstars do we have who lives an example of purpose driven life and giving back to God? 

Let me share with you Tim Tebow's goal as a Christian and as a human being, a quote by the late Mother Theresa.

“Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely, and the unwanted, according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.”

toothfairy

It is a blessing beyond compare to have people in this life who live from across the miles yet whose heart each day touches mine...my Salitype Society sisters who inspire me in everything I do have changed me in ways I can never fully explain...
but can catch in photos...
 in hills and plains...

sunset, rainbow and flow'rs

three things that remind me of someone 

who makes me smile, laugh and sing

a friend I haven't even met in person yet

but makes each day on earth

a melody of words...

friendship

" friendship is never an obligation. walk an extra mile for a friend out of love and not because of the expectation of reciprocal gesture. give without remembering and receive never forgetting. it grows not in years but in essence. sometimes, it ends for no reason but simply run its course." - Eng

Sunset Watch with TSS

I have always loved watching the sunset yet my love for it has become more intense when I met my Salitype Society friends. This purpose driven blog of ours which aims to touch lives through sponsoring a child's education has made taking photos for me almost like a prayer at heart. 

...for how do you not become happy and content having sisters who think of you each time they see your favorite hue? This bag is a tangible evidence of a friendship that knows no distance. It was won in an auction by Betchai at the Tapulanga Foundation Fund Raiser Dinner she attended with our sister Chay. It reached me several weeks after and has brought tears to my eyes knowing that our friendship is so alive despite the distance. So the first chance I got to watch the sunset after I received the bag, I took it with me...and off I went to dreamland for that one sweet day I would be viewing the sky change colors with my TSS family. 

Thank you so much for helping us continue with our vision to help make a difference in the world through the things we love doing...,catching photos and typing rhymes...we love you all dear friends, oh so much...

A Moment in Time

"We seek what is in our hearts, we find our biggest desires."
By JJohnson




It was a thought and then it was a light bulb. It was a dream and then it was the first car. It was a lifelong desire and then in a moment in time it was the first flight. This could go on endlessly however I will spare everyone. I want to share some other moments in time that are just as important.

It was a simple date but I knew she was the one I should be with for the rest of my life. However, her moment in time came much later--because I had a flaw--I was too tall. But the moment in time for me were the words, "I do." To get to that moment in time for me was a dream to find the one I would be with forever, it was a lifelong desire to have the person who would be my soul mate.

One day I sat alone in the dark in my bedroom with total silence surrounding me. My thoughts were racing around in my head about what I should do with my life. A crossroads had appeared and now it was time to make life choices. After many months of searching my heart I selected to go back to school as a non-traditional student to become a therapist--a way for me to give back. It was a specific moment in time when I knew it was the right decision and I was following the correct calling.

This year we will make a New Year's resolution--not the "I will lose weight, exercise more, eat healthy, etc, but a decision deep within your heart that says, "I need a moment in time when 'this_____' inside me becomes a reality." Many of us have a burning inside to start something, or seek out a new direction or an old one abandoned years ago but it begins with a moment in time when we all become real within ourselves, carve away the insecurities and obstacles and head out into our adventure.

In every moment in time there are millions of moments filled with hard work, soul searching, and measuring our desires again. Make this New Year's resolution to find your moment in time when the "real journey" begins. It is just a moment in time that starts it all. Happy New Year!!!!

The Best Moments in 2011

April 2011 - As I blew out my birthday candles, I whispered a short thank you prayer for my years on this earth and prayed that God would bless me with 45 more birthdays. I plan on praying for more after that prayer has been answered.



.

July 2011 - I stepped on stage to accept my graduation diploma for Vocational Nursing. A dream-come-true after two years of weeknight after work classes, late night studies, and weekend clinical duties. I graduated with honor and with a special distinction award of perfect attendance 3 out of 4 semesters.






October 2011 - I passed the NCLEX board for Licensed Vocation Nursing (LVN) becoming a State of California LVN on my first attempt.


November 2011 - I spent 3 weeks in the Philippines with my family. It had been five years since I last saw them. This family picture at a private beach resort in the Philippines is a treasure for me.

(In the picture are my mom and dad, 3 sisters, 1 brother, sis/bro-in-law, nieces and nephews. )

December 2011 - While in the Philippines I reunited with my High school friends and classmates 30 years after graduation. THANK YOU “Facebook” for making this connection possible!





Tonight, as the new year quickly approaches, I thanked God for family, friends and for all the answered prayers in 2011. It has been a great year for my family and me. Another year full of answered prayers, blessings beyond belief, and many things to let me realize the power of God. I am looking forward to another year of answered prayers and life growth for all of us.

WISHING EVERYONE A BLESSED AND PROSPEROUS 2012 !!!!

GrOwInG Up

When I was a little girl I can't wait to grow up...I wanted to have bigger shoe size with high pointed heels...I wanted to wear large pearl earrings and eat ice cream to my heart's content...



When I was a little older I wanted to finish school the soonest possible time...I wanted to earn my own money...I wanted to end all assignments...I wanted to go home a little late...I wanted to simply enjoy the benefits of being a grown-up...No curfews...No long sermons...No childish simple acts...



When I was older than a little older...I wanted go back studying...I wanted to have longer assignments...I wanted to do more of those simple childish acts...I wanted everything that I never wanted when I was a little older...



Present time...now that I am a little older than older than a little older...I have this feeling that maybe I shouldn't have wished for what I wanted when I was a little girl so soon....

Growing up can be fun. But growing up is like a roller coaster ride...There are times that you can handle it but there are times too that you can barely go on...For now enjoy the ride...Sleep while you can still keep your eyes shut for more than 3 hours...Eat while you still can enjoy a full meal...Laugh hard enough while you can still enjoy every funny moments...Smile while you can still stretch those zygomaticus muscles....( and while you still have those pearly white complete set of teeth )...Enjoy long hours taking a hot bath while you can still endure the long few minutes of sitting on a bath tub....Go take a hike while you can still enjoy using those lovely two legs of yours...Dress up a little while you can still manage to do it yourself...Wear high stilletoes while your feet can still bear them...and THANK THE LORD for giving you the chance to enjoy the wonderful pages of a book called LIFE and GROWING UP....

Gorgeous in Blue

Meet the medical doctor in the The Salitype Society Family....

She is gifted with a mind, heart and hands that care, love, touch and heal. Her passion to life and her family is so uniquely hers....

 

Zen and Her Beautiful, Loving Family

"mothering goes beyond carressing one's child, it is about caring for all creatures and teaching kids to love God's gift of nature!" - Zen a.k.a. kulasa

She opened my eyes to the wonderful world of blue...

 

Zen's Love and Passion for Blue and Nature

 

One of Zen's Awe Inspiring Sunrise Pictures   

and I can see why the color blue speaks so much about her....for blue is peacefulness....blue is calmness.. blue is healing!

Gorgeous in Blue

I can see this beautiful lady inside and out glowing in her blue scrubs 

 blue scrub from http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/

and medical uniforms lab coats.

 

Smile that has healing touch!

  Let me share with you some words behind kulasa's heart.

"I am one of those women who dream of things which can not be bought...I dream of the world going back to how it was created a long time ago...pure, green, lush, amazingly blue, dreamy yellow, fluffy white...soft like a baby's touch...I dream of a world devoid of evil and materialism...I dream of heaven...so whenever time and God allow I run to where I feel His presence most...in the beauty of nature...and in the company of fellow dreamers..."-----from kulasa

I honor and share your dreams kulasa.....to the peacefulness and beauty of nature shall we go experiencing heavenly joys of simple life. 

Belated Happy Birthday to you, Kulasa!!

room for improvement

it must have been love...this desire that keeps burning, the itch that can only be relieved by pressing the shutter. i am willing to go the distance ( i'm a homey person, when i'm in nothing short of emergency can make me go out especially if its cold, gray and damp outside!!!), i do not mind crawling on fours, lying on my belly, get my white pants dirty ( tsk!! washing machine will not do the job well, need to handwashed it at the end!!), get myself wet from a fast approaching high tide because the camera is set for long exposure and i need to have that shot taken and be thick enough to suffer the odd stares from people who must have thought i was mad for taking a photo of a dried leaf on the pavement!!! i bear all those and more..oh! much, much more.

if i have gone through all those, then you can just imagine what the hubby has gone through for his unfaltering love for this craft we both come to love so much...Photography. he wakes up at the wee hours in the morning and drive miles away to get a glimpse of sunrise. he comes home late at night from taking a photo of a sunset ( sunset comes very late at summer time, the sun is still up @ 9:00 pm, you see). his breaks at work is spend going out to picture people on their everyday dealings with life - he is at the moment into street photography, amongst other things!. winter is the worst time and yet he still goes out there to capture each moment and freeze it eternally. and yes, he has gone through all those and more...much, much more.

we both take photography seriously and with ardent passion, he more than i. we will never be where we are now if we didn't push ourselves to be better. there were even a time that all you can see at home are books ( we must have borrowed all books available in our local library,lol!) and magazines ( they don't come cheap, you know!) about photography...him to learn all he can and me to look for inspirations. we make our own diffusers, snoot, reflectors and anything we can get away by DIY, we do. we both wish to travel more so we can show you more and learn more so you can enjoy the fruit of out hard labor.

above all that, we both believed there's always a big room for improvement. learning is a life-long process and we agressively in pursue of it, always. we appreciate all the thumbs up and the likes but above all we acknowledge an honest opinion of our works. we can only get better in what we do if we know where we have gone wrong.

Inching Closer to Edmonton

My sister called me with exciting news about her family. Their family wanted to move to Canada. Her husband is a very good mechanic so when they saw a job opportunity in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada he immediately gathered all his credentials and mailed out his application. After one year of waiting, notice came offering him a job with a set start date in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

This surprise changed their lives as many requirements were required to be completed in a short period of time. He needed a physical check up, apply for a passport, purchase a plane ticket, and most important he needed to find an apartment close to work. It would take a few months for him to obtain a drivers license and purchase a car, so he needed to live close to work and public transportation. My sister was worried about finding 'just' the right place so she asked me to assist. When I hung up the phone I went straight to this web site to find 'just' the right Edmonton apartments to live. 

Workplace so close to my brother in law's apartment

The apartment I found was within walking distance to work and two blocks away from access to public transportation. With access to public transportation it allowed him to buy groceries, enjoy a movie, and make life outside of work accessible. My brother-in-law adjusted quickly to his new job. He made a lot of friends and had visited couple of nice places in Canada. When the weather is nice, he would get on his bike and check the area around town. 

First time for him to see the snow and he had a blast. All of these are dreams come true for him and his family.

First Edmonton Winter

One year later my sister called me again with a much better news, she and the children will finally join her husband. I knew exactly that I have to look for a three bedroom apartment. 

 3- 4 Bedroom Edomonton Apartments in Winter

We were both ecstatic about this great news, we are now closer to each other and we can do more than just talking on the phone.

The Real Life Wonderwoman

Once upon a time in friendster days, I met this wonderful woman who taught me to love life even more each passing day. In our Salitype family, we call her Chay a.k.a Aligaga.

She is a fountain of youth and a real beauty! I keep telling her to share me her secrets for staying young and pretty.

Who can tell she has two beautiful grown up kids (and er, one adorable baby named Cottonball) ?

Apart from being a domesticated and caring mom, 

she is a supportive and loving wife to her Big Guy.

Nope! She's not a typical housewife! She is an accountant by profession.

And guess what?!

She is also an aspiring nurse! Isn't she an epitome of a real life wonderwoman?

On my way to work this morning, I checked my FB inbox and I was so happy to hear read the good news! Chay just passed her NCLEX-LVN board yesterday! This calls for a celebration so here I am, celebrating a blessed life with my wonderful friend with the rest of our TSS sisters. :)

CONGRATULATIONS, CHAY! We, YOUR SALITYPE FAMILY, are so proud of YOU!

Cheers to your recent success and more blessings to come!

Go Ricochet

Last Sunday, September 25, 2011, we went to watch the Del Mar Surf Dog Surfathon, world's largest surfing dog competition. The competition was divided into 4 weight classes: the small dog heat, the medium sized dog heat, the large dog heat and the extra large dog heat. The winners in every heat competed for the final prize. There were 80 dogs who entered the contest, and about 4,000 people lined up the beach to watch. We were only able to watch the large dog heat. Here are some pictures of the surfing dog participants in the large dog heat. Who do you think will win? All these dogs can surf alone, but I purposely included the members of their team who cheered on them. I do not know what the name of their team, but I will be calling them according to their color. 

 Team Yellow

 Team Pink

 Team Orange

Team Red 

Team Purple 

 Team Blue ( I was not able to take picture with his team)

It was very fun to watch these dogs ride the waves on their surf board. Of course, I right away cheered for Team Pink, because that is my color. It was not easy to take pictures though because what with thousands of people on the beach.

Spectators of Dog Surfing Competition

It was just hard to take pictures without people in front of me :( And if I move away from people, I would get wet, which I had no intention of getting wet at all since we still have to hike back to Torrey Pines. A lot of photographers however, had fun shooting with the waves and I believe getting wet.

I'm sure his camera got wet by the splashing waves

Photographing with a Waterproof Sealed Camera

Going back to the surfing dog competition-large dog heat, who do you think won?? All these dogs can surf, but they were judged according to the length of time they can ride on the surfboard, their poise ( they show confidence), their maneuvers ( they can manage to do some turns in surfing and catch wave) etc. Well, so happy to share to you, that the dog I cheered won :) Team Pink won :)

Ricochet- winner in Large Dog Heat

I love watching Ricochet because she looked so poised and confident surfing, and well, she maneuvers turning on the board too with utmost confidence as well. 

Ricochet Can Turn

Over-all though, Ricochet did not win the event, she was only 2nd when all the finalists from each category competed for the grand prize. However, I am so glad to know that Surf Dog Ricochet is a star :) She is one of the top 8 finalists of the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards. She surfs tandem with special needs kids and people with disabilities. If you go to her Facebook Surf Dog Ricochet site, this is what she says for her description: " LIVING A LIFESTYLE OF HELPING OTHERS BY PAWING IT FORWARD, WHILE RAISING AWARENESS & FUNDS FOR HUMAN/ANIMAL CAUSES, INCLUDING ADAPTIVE SURFERS, SPECIAL NEEDS KIDS, K9 CANCER, AND ANIMAL RESCUE/SHELTERS. I SURF FOR FUN & WIN CONTESTS TOO! I USUALLY PLACE IN THE TOP THREE AT SURF DOG CONTESTS, TAKING HOME MEDALS...." 

Go go Ricochet, I admire your purpose of helping the disabled communities and raising over $100,000 for your adopted charity. I wish to see you tandem surfing later with special needs kids or people with disabilities. May your good deeds continue to inspire othes, and wishing you the best in winning the American Hero Dog Awards. If you have some time to watch how Ricochet turned into a humanitarian dog, watch the video below, I find it very inspiring that a weakness has been turned to strength! Indeed, there is no failure when we focus on what we can do, and that's what Ricochet showed the world!