I first signed up to be a blogger in 2008. The very first blogged sentences I wrote was "I can hardly believe I got myself a blog. Ain't this WOW? hehehe... " The blog WAS www.panha-konkhmer.blogspot.com. I was kinda excited for me at first to have a blog of my own...But hey, why WAS? It's because the blog has been removed already. It has been too long for me to write something else on it. The reasons were laziness and lack of motivation. I told myself that I would try to blog, but I never did because after the rush of excitement, I thought that blogging was just a waste of time and that it wouldn't do me any good or change the world in any way, so I stopped.
A year had passed, and still, I didn't buy the idea of "blogging" UNTIL...
On Saturday night, November 28, 2009, I was supposed to be reading something for my literature review of my thesis, but I kept myself busy with my one-hour-or-so dinner just to watch TV. I was channel-hopping around 66 channels on my TV until I was fed up with it having nothing interesting to watch, so I grabbed my towel, wanting to have a shower and then sleep, pretending to forget my reading since it was around 9:30pm already. A second after wrapping my half-down with the towel, stripping my night pants off, my brother accidentally turned on CNN. There it was CNN's Heroes: All-Star Tribute. The very first candidate I saw was a Filipino guy named Efren Penaflorida. He was nominated because he was bringing education to poor kids in a slum area by having books and other learning material put in carts and teaching them English, or something else (I didn't really care about that).
To others, it was just a so-so charity act, nothing dramatic, but for me, OMG, it was overwhelming. My eyes leaked just by seeing the kids he taught smiled and laughed and had fun being educated. I know for sure that it was because I personally have strong compassion for kids. It was an absolutely touching sight...I cried, happy and promising tears.
At the end of the program, the name of the CNN Hero of year was announced, and it was him, Efren. He went up on the stage, holding the trophy and a miniature of the cart he used for storing learning materials for the kids. He wept and said, "Be the change of your dream... Unleash the hero within...You can do it."
From that moment on, I determined to do something to achieve my long-though vision which is "Children being educated and enjoying their rights."
Here I am, writing this post, believing and doing, not just trying.
Oops, the librarian is kicking people out. I'd better go now.
More later...
Welcome back to the blogging world! Just to let you know that I am your first visitor. comment more later !
ReplyDeletehi. I found your blog by accident when I was just playing around with internet at the internet cafe. I watched the CNN hero too, that why I want to make comment. I was inspired by each hero, but there is a negative thought came up in my mind along the way. Do you think that charity should be a competition? Did you remember that one of the hero said "I can't believe it, last year I watched CNN hero and now I am standing here"
ReplyDeleteI had a doubt and I was afraid that what they did were to become CNN hero. CNN is the biggest TV channel and this title Hero is extremely good to have. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate their work very very much. I ; however, don't want this kind of good work to be competition.
Nice to see your blog, continue it and I will visit more offend. Dawin.
Well, I have to say thanks to the accidence.
ReplyDeleteWanting to be a CNN hero isn't bad at all, and along the way to becoming one, a whole lots of others gain benefits. However, I totally agree with you on the no competition.
Like one of my closest friends Ea Dara said, making one person look better or be a winner, in this case, is making others look worse or become losers. It's all relative.
It's a very good idea to have charity workers to come on stage and show what they have done and more importantly, to inspire others, but choosing one out of the others is just not right, I believe, because each and everyone of them is unique by themselves. I, personally, may think that Efren is so inspiring for me. Nevertheless, this doesn't mean that all the other nominees are not. Others are too awesome for some people or the other. For example, Betty(?), the woman from Zimbabwe, is truly a hero for women there. She has help countless lives and been trying to kill the myth of "HIV/AIDS is gone after sex with a virgin--a woman, a girl, or even a baby girl." She's an angel. Why didn't she win? Are people there, who voted for her and who don't have the internet access, less important? No, they absolutely aren't.
The point is, "No, charity should be a competition."
P.S. By the way, a few months ago, my girlfriend and I agreed that when we got married and have our first daughter, hopefully, she will be named Darwin. We love your name.
Thanks, for your comment anyway.
Do drop by.
OH. This is so nice. If i weren't born too early, i may be born as your daughter then.
ReplyDelete