that stranger on the hill

stardanced:

Last weekend, Manika Manila, our local BJD community, had its annual Christmas meet, Monito Manika 2011. I hosted it. It was a potluck party, but since not everyone would be able to bring something to share, monetary contribution was collected in order to offset the cost of food prepared by my lola. The next day, news of Sendong and its wrath on Cagayan de Oro and Iligan poured in. I found myself unable to think or talk or post about anything else. With the blessing of my lola, Manika Manila decided that the money we raised was to be donated to Typhoon Sendong relief operations. The money was already with me, and it was all just a matter of dropping it off to the proper channels.
I found a particular channel that couldn’t have been more appropriate for us.

This is my surprise for you, Manika Manila. A portion of the money we raised was used to buy a dozen of these adorable teddy bears to give to Yakapin: Batang Hilagang Mindanao, a campaign spearheaded by my good friend Pia/@photograpia on Tumblr and her mom to collect teddy bears and stuffed toys for the children affected by Typhoon Sendong in Northern Mindanao.
We BJD owners know that our dolls are not just dolls; not to us, at least. They are outlets for our creativity and self-expression, the personifications of characters we’ve long crafted in our minds, or simply quiet companions that we can look to for comfort when the world gets too crowded and noisy for our liking. At an age where we supposedly should’ve lost interest in dolls and other “childish” things, we still manage to see our dolls - and by extension, the rest of the world - with a certain childlike wonder. Thus, we can better see and appreciate what a toy would mean to a child. For a child, a toy is not just a toy. A simple teddy bear can become a child’s outlet for his emotions, something soft and warm that he can hug, a friendly face where he can find comfort in solace in a world that can be so big and scary.

Look at his friendly little smile! He and his eleven other brave bear friends will be sending smiles and hugs to the children of Northern Mindanao. :)
Give a hug to the children of Northern Mindanao by giving them a lovable stuffed toy to hug. Refer to this entry for various drop-off points around the metro where you can leave your stuffed toys and teddy bears. I’ll also be reblogging it here. Don’t forget to like Yakapin: Batang Hilagang Mindanao on Facebook! — stardanced:

Last weekend, Manika Manila, our local BJD community, had its annual Christmas meet, Monito Manika 2011. I hosted it. It was a potluck party, but since not everyone would be able to bring something to share, monetary contribution was collected in order to offset the cost of food prepared by my *lola.* The next day, news of Sendong and its wrath on Cagayan de Oro and Iligan poured in. I found myself unable to think or talk or post about anything else. With the blessing of my *lola*, Manika Manila decided that the money we raised was to be donated to Typhoon Sendong relief operations. The money was already with me, and it was all just a matter of dropping it off to the proper channels.

I found a particular channel that couldn’t have been more appropriate for us.

This is my surprise for you, Manika Manila. A portion of the money we raised was used to buy a dozen of these adorable teddy bears to give to Yakapin: Batang Hilagang Mindanao, a campaign spearheaded by my good friend Pia/@photograpia on Tumblr and her mom to collect teddy bears and stuffed toys for the children affected by Typhoon Sendong in Northern Mindanao.

We BJD owners know that our dolls are not just dolls; not to us, at least. They are outlets for our creativity and self-expression, the personifications of characters we’ve long crafted in our minds, or simply quiet companions that we can look to for comfort when the world gets too crowded and noisy for our liking. At an age where we supposedly should’ve lost interest in dolls and other “childish” things, we still manage to see our dolls - and by extension, the rest of the world - with a certain childlike wonder. Thus, we can better see and appreciate what a toy would mean to a child. For a child, a toy is not just a toy. A simple teddy bear can become a child’s outlet for his emotions, something soft and warm that he can hug, a friendly face where he can find comfort in solace in a world that can be so big and scary.

Look at his friendly little smile! He and his eleven other brave bear friends will be sending smiles and hugs to the children of Northern Mindanao. :)

Give a hug to the children of Northern Mindanao by giving them a lovable stuffed toy to hug. Refer to this entry for various drop-off points around the metro where you can leave your stuffed toys and teddy bears. I’ll also be reblogging it here. Don’t forget to like Yakapin: Batang Hilagang Mindanao on Facebook!

(via devolvedarling)

A Public Service Announcement from Star☆Danced

A CALL FOR DONATIONS: TYPHOON SENDONG RELIEF OPERATIONS

For those of you who don’t know, I’m based in the Philippines. The Philippines is an archipelago, a group of islands. The southern part of the Philippines, the Mindanao islands, is rarely hit by typhoons, but Typhoon Sendong is a huge exception. In one night, it dumped the equivalent of more than a month of rain onto the area, resulting in flooding and heavy damage.

There are discrepancies in the death toll thus far; some sources report 300, others 500 or more. This is because in some areas, entire families were wiped out and thus had no one to report the casualties.

The cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were particularly affected. So many children drowned in the flood, so much so that mortuaries and funeral homes are experiencing a shortage of embalming fluids and have run out of children’s caskets.

Run a Google search on “Typhoon Sendong”, and you’ll see so many more news articles coming in about it. What I’ve typed above is just a fraction of what I’ve gleaned thus far. My Facebook news feed is an information overload of relief efforts and breaking news, so it’s very difficult to keep track of what’s the newest information in the region.

It’s heartbreaking. This storm crept in like a thief in the night and basically wiped out what for some people would’ve been their entire existence. And so close to Christmas, which all the more makes it more painful. Christmas in the Philippines is all about family, but without a family to spend it with — I can’t even imagine what these people must be experiencing right now.

Let’s show them some love this holiday season. A little can really go a long way. One dollar can buy someone a full meal already. Imagine what a little - or a lot! - more can do. If you’re saving for a new wig or new eyes, I’m humbly appealing to you to take a dollar or two out of your savings for this effort. You might have to wait a little longer to buy them, but it really, really will help.

DONATE TO TYPHOON SENDONG RELIEF OPERATIONS!

Star☆Danced is in solidarity with those affected by Typhoon Sendong and joins various relief efforts in its own little way by harnessing the power of Tumblr and the Internet! I would like to appeal to the dorrie community to share some love this holiday season. I’m asking for donations on behalf of relief operations here in the Philippines.

Sending your love is really easy!

1) Log on to http://tinyurl.com/sendongstardanced or click this link. It will lead you to a Paypal page.
2) Enter the amount you wish to donate and send it.
3) Check your email for the digital receipt of your donation.
4) Forward your digital receipt to me (trisha.descallar@yahoo.com) along with your real name/first name and your Tumblr username.

On December 25 2011, Christmas Day, I will be turning over the funds to my school, Ateneo de Manila University, which is helping Xavier University/Ateneo de Cagayan in Cagayan de Oro city with its relief operations. It’ll be the perfect gift this holiday season, one of love and compassion.

BUT WAIT!

As a thank you gift for your kindness and generosity, I’ll be sending postcard prints to everyone who donates! (^o^)/

Donate $5 and receive one (1) postcard print.
Donate $10 and receive three (3) postcard prints.
Donate $20 and receive five (5) postcard prints.

If you wish to avail of these prints, please include your full name and postal address in your email to me when you forward me your digital receipt.

I’m not sure if I’ll be shooting new content for these prints or if I’ll be using photos previously posted - suggestions are welcome! -, but it’ll definitely be something cute and from the heart. I’ll be sending this from you regardless of where you are in the world!

Please reblog and spread the word. Feel free to share this to your dorrie and non-dorrie friends whether they’re on Tumblr or not, just make sure to email me their information anyway so I can keep track of how much we’ve raised.

If you have any suggestions or want to help in other ways, drop me a line at trisha.descallar@yahoo.com.

Remember, a little goes a long way. The love, share it! ♡

Been a while since the last time I took photos of him.