7 Men and Women -- 7 Stories -- 7 Detours -- One Soul Searching

My mom was one of the fortunate people to be invited to reinvent one' s being. Yes! She always says she is fortunate... lucky... blessed because if you know who my mother is in real life form you would say "Oooowwww!!!!! how  is she  still alive as of now for both of us... Whatever she had shared in the boot camp is only 1/4 because as she says not all deserves to know who is the real Rissa. That 1/4 was just the dark side of her and the darker side and the darkest side are well kept even if Kuya David Ferro asked her "No more hiding... It is time..."  As a child she said she had followed everything my lola said. My mom said she wanted to be an engineer but my lola asked her to be a teacher. As an obedient first daughter, she did so. The only thing she had against my lola's will was when she married Jade... And that was the start of her unfortunate detours in her life... What she ever wanted before marriage were to become a professor, finished her doctorate degree and have a kid... NO HUSBAND INCLUDED. But then she had a drastic detour... her wants became having a house, a healthy family, a loving husband... be the coolest mom to me... but these things never came true as she waited for 12 years to come... All she had was just an apology for all the nightmares we had... Aimlessly, she just sat down a blank screen on most of the time... wasting what is left in her life. She said the only right thing that ever happened in her life since she got married is having me as her son. She never failed me as a mom even though most of the time she apologies for not being the best one...
My mom was invited to reinvent herself in Detour Boot Camp by Kuya David courtesy of Propel Mentoring Partnership Co. which leads people out of the box. She had herself absent for a day to be there for the first day and had me sent to Tita Joy's place to enjoy my Lola Viring's birthday. Yes! She had sacrificed a family gathering which happens only once in a year for the boot camp. She had sacrificed 3 days without seeing me for the first time in her life. Was it worth??? "Definitely", she said and here she shared to me what she had in the boot Camp.


Getting into places is her major goal nowadays. She never traveled alone  and this was her first time in an unfamiliar place like Boso Boso Hotel and Resort in Antipolo, Rizal last November 18, 19 and 20 of 2016. She brought lots of things and so I asked her "MAMA UUWI KA PA BA?". She brought too much and less too... she forgot her toothpaste, sanitary napkins, essential vitamins etc. She said that she waited for hours to wished she had come to school first. She hates absenteeism. She hates late. She hates sarcasm. She hates herself. She had hefty meals together with the other campers. There she met good people. She mentioned a lot like Tita Arlyn, Tita Bette, Tita Cherry, Tita Sol, Tita Mich, and more. Day 1 was the start of her new detour and that was giving life a chance. The first speaker, Andrew Cua, shared how he had his backlogs... sacrifices... swallowing his pride... He started as his classmates' servant in returning empty bottles in exchange of few peso coins from them to now a growing internet business tycoon. Don't be afraid to start up...  Then second one, which was Rochelle De Villa, talked about identifying the problems in far most in our society and how to help them solve these problems. And so she had the first farmer friendly association where farmers can have their start up. Overcome her own disability of being born that way, that never hindered her to help others as she help herself in helping others. My mom likes to help others and so she bets on the second one but I said to her "How can you help others if you don't know how to help yourself first?... You need to help yourself first before you can be in service to others." and so both speakers were valued to her on her first day in the boot camp... (by the way we constantly talked through texting and messenger. ) The third speaker was Rachel Harrison, a mom of Julian, who never gives up for her son. She had given so much hope to my mom as for my Tita Roselle, who have autism, who never had such special training to bring out the best in her for her 28 years of just sitting around. She is planning to have Tita Roselle go to Zambawood. It is not  too late for her to live her life even with autism. The fourth speaker was Dave Lim. The cool Dave Lim got sick of building dreams for the foreign brands and so he founded My|Phone Cellular Company. Patriotism is a form of loving yourself... believing that we are all created equal in a form good sense of leadership. Everyone should have a heart of not giving up. He promised my mom to REPLACED her phone, which she had own only last April and broke it last May, through Miss Sheryl. Anthony Pangilinan was the 5th one. He talked about the advantages and disadvantages of life and how to claim it. Taking a good look on the positive things in the detours... support comes own its way... open arms embrace those you add value to you... looking a deep thought of 1... 2... 3...  to accept the brutal fact... then to the new ways of moving forward but at the end don't ever forget to understand that at the end of the goal, it isn't always the destination you ever planned to have... FOCUS... the need of focus is a must in seeking for the real purpose in life... and the most important of all  is to LOVE YOURSELF... The sixth speaker was Mary Jane Vega. A fighter... a warrior... she is a great example that her faith... her God is bigger than cancer. She never let that dreadful disease controlled her life. She made sure giving up is not an option because she have a son to raise... and she knows no matter what his age he would always need her as his mom. ( I hope my mom realize that I need her for the rest of my life... I am very hopeful she WON'T quit living her life ). The last one was Flip Ruby of Zalora. He talked about when life gives you lemons you should squeeze them in your eyes... hahahahaha!!! It is very easy for some to talk negatively but is very hard to many to take the talk positively... Life is short... Life is hard... but it is up to you to live a life to the fullest in spite of tons of detours...

My mom believes in angels...I have to thank Kuya David and Ate Shirley for this... and for her, she was then thanking God for giving her such good opportunity to think deeper that in every breath she takes their is hope... all she needs is to ask what she really needs... and she will receive...

Here are some pictures she had taken in her hostile self. :)

Andrew Cua

Rochelle De Villa

The Reflection Time together with her team.

Ms. Rachel Harrison as she speaks with full of heart and soul...

Mr. Lim as he promised my mom to replaced her phone. :)

The ever handsome no matter what Mr. Anthony Pangilinan

From the campers photos. Ms. Shirley and Ms. Jane

Mr Flip of Zalora

The peaceful over viewing the activity  area

She said she swam here...

The view in her assigned room

Her assigned room with her roommates... 

Her sleep deprived selfie outside the room...

Her first day selfie ( They thought she owed the place... hahahaha)

Morning selfie for her be like... I NEED TO LOVE MYSELF

The afternoon look ANGAS mode...

Her last day selfie

Thank you Propel Mentoring Group for Taking Good Care of My Mom...

--Justin