i've been looking forward to this day since...yesterday. haha. today, we went to white cross children's home in san juan. they're my kids. yeah, my kids. haha.

see, it's like this. on my debut, i won't be asking for presents and gifts and blah blah blah for me. i'm asking my guests to give, instead, money donations for the children of white cross. and today, we went there to see the kids and spend some time with them.

we left home at around 8.30am. by we, i meant: me, mama, jinky, martin; paolo, gracie, tammy, and josh; nj; ate rovi and iya. we rode in one van. haha. dami noh? pero we all fit in the vehicle, along with the food, which was good for the 75 kids of white cross, the 65 staff members, and us. whoa. haha. we were planning to celebrate the kiddie party i had planned for my birthday. before, i told mom kasi na i won't have a debut. i just want to spend my debut money for a kiddie party and donate the rest to their institution. i thought kasi, i've had 17 years to celebrate MY birthday. ako yung bida. the main star, kasi it's my birthday. but now, it's about time other kids felt what it was like to have a birthday party, kahit once in their lives lang. so there, we found ourselves cramped in a van going to san juan.

when we arrived there, we saw a group of kids sitting along a table. very well behaved. their big, round were so curious. nakakatuwa sila tingnan. we went down the van and started fixing the table where we were going to put the food. tapos we arranged na the food and stuff. i spent some time getting bitten and pinched by iya kasi hawak ko siya while everyone else were making ayos the food. thankfully, tammy came to my rescue at siya muna naghawak kay iya while i helped. a few minutes later, i could hear sounds of kids talking happily.

they appeared from a door sa may stage and went down to find seats in their little tables. most of them looked like 3-6 years old. lotsa boys, di gaano marami yung girls. they said their prayers, then they sang "happy birthday" to me. then their carers got food for them na, while we took care of the tetra pak juices. nakakatuwa talaga, ang daming mga bata! so cute. makukulit.

i was handing out spoons and forks to some boys in a table when i saw one of them crying. inaway daw kasi sya nung bata across from him. heehee. so cute. his name is justin, he seemed to be about 3 or 4. yung nang-away sa kanya si buknoy (at least that's what i heard a carer call him). pilyo, pero super funny. as the kids ate, we went around taking pictures. all my cousins were talking to the kids and taking pictures with them. si paolo and nj had their own tropas. jinky was with some girls. tammy was taking pictures. gracie and i were punching the straws into the tetra pak juices. josh and martin were happy in their own worlds. iya was eating with the girls in one table, and ate rovi was helping her.

after the kids were finished (one of the kids, rocky, kept coming back for more barbecue), nagtakbuhan na sila around the hall. i chased around buknoy, nangungulit eh. haha. and i went around talking to some kids. there was a 6-year-old, angel, and she was there with her three sisters! three! there was 3-year-old cecil and 2-year-old twins anna mae and anna lisa. what would drive a parent to abandon her four children?

by 11.30am, it was almost time for them to take a bath and then nap time. so we took out the cake, they sang "happy birthday" again, then i blew my candle. tapos we gave them each a loot bag with candies and toys. nakakatuwa talaga. super. and hanggang pag-alis namin, they kept making pahabol na goodbye's. so sweet.

gawd. i wanna go back there again. it's during these sort of trips that i feel a sense of satisfaction and contentment. those kids, they don't have families. so to make them feel that there are still people who care for them--that's the best thing we can give.

P.S.
yes, i wanna make a difference in the world. haha.
or at least in a part of the world.

P.P.S.
To those going to my birthday whom i haven't given the invitation to yet, there's a part there i want y'all to take note. it's the bottom paragraph, and it reads:
"In lieu of gifts, I would like to request for cash or check donations for the children of White Cross Children's Home."