TEDxDiliman

I know this article is already late since this event occurred months ago; but I found it appropriate to share this with you now that applications for TEDxAteneo, TEDxDLSU and TEDxManila are finally open! If I let my selfish persona get the best of me I probably wouldn’t be writing this article as it would mean more competitors for the slot next year. TEDxDiliman has inspired me so much and the least I can do to give back is to spread the word to others.  

Just this summer, I was able to watch a video from TEDxAteneo on the return on investments of being a public school teacher. The video was very timely because I was dealing with problems of my own. It really is true when they say that at some point in your life you get to question your purpose in life and who you ought to be. The talk was so moving that I ended up following different TEDx pages to give me words of motivation every now and then that fit to what I was going through at that point in life.

Little did I know that we have TEDx in my second home! I immediately applied without waiting for positive results since I knew a lot of people were more deserving than me. But I guess God knew I needed this talk badly that he gave me a slot. The event was held in UP School of Economics Auditorium last October 12. The theme of this year’s TEDxDiliman is What I’ve Learned. The roster of speakers were just outstanding and it was an honor to be hear them speak. 

Miss Lisa Macuja was up first. She requested the audience to get up on their feet and do the 180 degrees turn out. This was something ballerinas have already mastered and it’s not as easy as it looks. It required training of 6 hours a day. But what made the primaballerina continue what she was doing was the idea of “leaving a memory of me dancing for you”. In her words she said that there is nothing like seeing and feeling the exchange of energy between the audience and the performer. She ended the talk by sharing a story without words – through dancing. 

I was also lucky enough to listen to Mr. Rudy Quimbo. He talked about how the wheels are not and should not be a hindrance in achieving your goals in life. It applies to anything we’re going through right now actually. Mr Rudy Quimbo served as a living reminder that we shouldn’t let struggles stop us into becoming the person we want to be. “If there’s a wheel there’s a way”, as he said. 

   

Gloc-9 and Leeroy New came from different fields but both have already experienced the fruits of their labor. They just followed their passion and continued to do what they love despite not having any credit for it. A famous line that inspired me a lot was from Gloc-9, “Pag nangarap ka, half of your journey, tapos na. You just have to finish it.”

Prof. Jocano gave us a nerve-wracking performance of how arnis is done. Some may be amazed by this unique self-defense but what will even more amaze you is how this simple martial arts has a unique connection to the Filipino identity. Prof Jocano stressed how it gave him a different way at looking at our culture and arnis challenges us to look beyond ourselves.

My two most favorite speakers are Cong. Sherwin Gatchalian and Mr. James Deakin. Let me start off with Cong Gatchalian. He was the former mayor of Valenzuela and he did quite well at that. He made business application and tax collection easy and without human intervention; which means cancelling out corruption and he made sure that they had outstanding customer service to address the concerns of his people. He made me believe that there are still a few good souls who genuinely wanted the Filipino people to progress.

Lastly Mr. James Deakin. I knew there was a reason why he was placed last. The story he told was so heartfelt that it made me cry. Since the only way you could feel the exact same emotions when I heard the story was to hear it from Sir Deakin, himself, here is a link of his talk:  

At the end of the talk I realized life is finding your passion and following that path. You won’t reach that pot of gold at once, but as you do what you love, you won’t even notice the distance it took you.  Most of all, this life is not just for yourself, you were created in this world for others. To help out in your own little way; to serve for the greater good. And maybe, that’s how you find meaning in your life.

I would like to thank Mr. Gigo Alampay and the whole TEDxDiliman team for all the effort they put in to make this event a success. You sure are creating an impact in people’s life.

To watch videos of these inspiring talks, visit the TEDxDiliman page: 

https://www.facebook.com/TEDxDiliman/timeline

Photos are not mine. Photo Courtesy: TEDxDiliman Facebook page