Mighty Rasing's Blog, page 5

How I Got Started in Writing

Like most diligent High School students, I was part of our school paper. I was even the Editor-in-Chief right before I graduated. I even dabbled in some, rather cheesy, poetry… you know, the kind that you write for a girl you like. Thankfully, there’s evidence that such cheesy poems existed ever.

Those were my early start, but writing in high school probably doesn’t count for much. But even at a young age, I’ve been a reader. I didn’t know about literary awards back then. We live in the provi...

How to Apply for an International Driving Permit

Most big cities in the United States have good public transportation system: trains, buses, taxis, you name it. Ride sharing services such as Uber and Lyft is also an option. But most suburbs and areas in the US don’t have good public transportation infrastructures.

If you will live in the US to work or to settle for good, you will need to rent a car in the first few weeks after your arrival until you can buy your own car. If you have family or friends that can lend you a car while you establ...

How to Convince Your Spouse to Move to the USA

If you are married and have kids, should you bring them to the United States with you? Are you willing to be separated from them across time and space so you could save more money?

These are not easy questions. And if you decide to bring them with you to the US or leave them behind in the Philippines, you would still need to convince your spouse either way.

So how did I convince my wife to move halfway across the world with me?

The short answer is I did not.

Let me explain.

Even before we got...

How NOT to Freak Out about Moving to the USA

In February 2015, I got accepted as the top candidate for the Director-level job I applied for. It was great and felt like a leveling up of some of the things I worked on over the past 5 years.

But here’s the rub: I need to move to the United States for this position.

It was a whirlwind application process. I applied for the position toward the end of November 2014, filled up some forms, wrote an essay, and then got interviewed.

It’s a different feeling when you “potentially” need to move to...

Cubao Traffic [Poetry]

Along EDSA—
My journey’s interrupted
By every sudden brake. Stopping
On every street, every traffic light. My life
(here atop the Santolan flyover) is going down
Into the waiting mouth of Cubao. I’m so hungry.
But inside this bus, like rag on a clothes line
Along EDSA where the plants and trees have died,
It’s hot. And humid. My insides are on fire. Sweat pours out
All over my body. A part of me gets left behind with every stop…
Wave the fan! Feverish fan! Sigh. So much for our hurried lives....

Pasay Rotonda: At the Crossroads

Whether you find yourself inside a mall somewhere in Monumento, malapit sa bantayog ni Andres Bonifacio, or sa dulo ng EDSA Extension, at the end of the day, you’ll need to go home. But after going to a mall to buy something o tumambay lang, did you have that feeling that you wasted a few hours of your life? And that those hours should have been spent doing something better?

At some point in your journey, mapapaisip ka if you’re in the right road, or kung tama ba yung destination na pinili mo...

EDSA Extension: Ito ba ang aking destinasyon?

Kung monumento ni Andres Bonifacio ang nasa Northern end ng EDSA, isa ring monumento ang makikita natin sa Southern end nito. Pagtawid mo ng Roxas Blvd, dadaan ka sa EDSA Extension patungo sa napakalaking monumento ng kapitalismo at konsumerismo: ang Mall of Asia. Tatambad sa iyo ang isang malaking globo na tuwing gabi ay umiilaw at nagpapakita ng mapa ng mundo, at paminsan-minsan, umiikot ang iba’t ibang uri ng advertisement.

Pilipinas na yata ang may pinakamaraming shopping malls kung icoco...

Highlights from Pew Research Center’s Social Media and the Workplace Report

It’s interesting to see how Social Media and web browsing trends change over the years. The turnover is just too fast!

Pew Research Center recently release their Social Media and Workplace Report and they’ve put out several interesting data in relation to the way that most Americans use Social Media.

Please take note that these data is mainly applicable to the United States. We, in the developing world, can also learn from it, but we’ll need to take into account our own context.

What do you...

Helpful #YouthStats from Around the World

As I work with young people around the world, I find it helpful to monitor trends, issues, and challenges affecting them. That’s why I keep a Twitter list of people and organization working with young people. If you want to subscribe to this list, head over to: https://twitter.com/mightyrasing/lists/young-people.

If you didn’t already know, the United Nations General Secretary has an Envoy on Youth. That office has come up with #YouthStats, which is a cool resource for youth leaders and yout...

God at the Borders and in the Midst of Diaspora

This is the text of a message I gave at The Upper Room Chapel on 25 May 2016 as part of Discipleship Ministries Chapel Time.

Leaving Home

In February 2011, barely a month after our wedding, I had to leave my bride, Charina, for a meeting in the United States. I was the Philippine Staff person for Young People’s Ministries. While I have been traveling to the US once a year since 2009, this was different.

image credit: Cesar via Flickr

By 3:30 am, I dragged my 23-pound luggage on the quiet stre...