Renjie Butalid - Latest Comments

Re: Stop. Take a Moment. Just Breathe.

شقق للبيع في الاردن — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:40:25 -0000

I appreciate your friendship as well looking forward to hanging out
with you again, whether its back in Canada or somewhere in Europe.

Re: My source of inspiration

Renjie Butalid — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:38:48 -0000

Hi Tita Ging,

Thank you so much for leaving this comment and sharing your story, I really appreciate it. One of the things that I did not expect when I decided to write this tribute to my parents were the comments from friends and colleagues of my parents from back in the day. It certainly helps to provide perspective on what my parents were like from back in the day.

Thank you once again for the kind words,

Best,
Renjie

Re: My source of inspiration

Agnesbuhyoff — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 02:23:59 -0000

What an outstanding tribute to your parents! I am touched by the way you honored them and showed your pride, respect and apprectiation. This is indeed every parents' envy. I've known your Mom since she was 12 and I could sense then that she would become a great mother aside from the fact that she was very smart in academics which made her a campus figure too during our time.....Tell your Dad that...(I am a highly reliable source).lol. Your Mom and I shared a similar background in life.

A few years ago, I talked to your Mom when you went back East looking for a suitable College/University for you to go to here in the States. I knew you'd do well after all the International Leadership trainings you attended; your Mom told me.

I shared your family's grief with your loss....after which I lost touch with your parents which was understandable....and your beautiful story filled me in. Thank you.

You'll do well in life. And I am proud of you, please know that. And you can call me Tita Ging (Las Vegas, NV)

Re: My source of inspiration

Renjie Butalid — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:58:34 -0000

Hi Marivic,

Thanks so much for sharing this story about my Mom and Dad and how you were a part of their lives way back when. I was actually in Cebu earlier this year for a couple of weeks and enjoyed my time there, glad to hear that you moved back home. Not sure if my Mom has already mentioned this to you over fb, but she will be in the Philippines over the Christmas holidays for a couple of weeks, you guys should meet up then!Take care,
Renjie

Re: My source of inspiration

Renjie Butalid — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:47:15 -0000

Hi Rosemarie, thank you so much! Will certainly extend my regards to my parents! I know that we all miss Al Ain a lot and can't wait to go back!!

Re: My source of inspiration

Renjie Butalid — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:46:45 -0000

Hi Vivian, thanks for leaving a comment, appreciate it! Im glad that you still remember my Dad and that you enjoyed his accounting classes! :)

Re: My source of inspiration

Marivicirvine — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 05:08:27 -0000

Hi Renjie,
Your mom and I were very close in college...we had the same scholarship at USC and were both Education(Math) students. We were that close that we actually got married in the same year and in the same church..I even had her seamstress sew my wedding gown. I met your Dad when they started dating..even had to accompany your mom to BPI one evening. They both are very good-hearted people and it's a privelege to know them and you sure are fortunate to have them as parents. I lived in the US for 18 yrs. and had lost track of your mom. Moved back to Cebu about 8 yrs. ago and thanks to Facebook I found her once again. This tribute is so heartwarming, Butch and Gaga are very blessed to have you as their son.
God bless,
Marivic Macarayan-Irvine

Re: My source of inspiration

Viviantesoro — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 01:41:22 -0000

Hi im one of your dad's student at the UNIVERSITY of San CArlos...he is my accounting teacher and he teaches us well and i can not forgot his well versed in English language..hehhehe....im an accountant now and still remember his teachings about accounting....

Re: My source of inspiration

Roselomberio — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 02:59:42 -0000

Hello! Your message to your parents was very touching.My husband and I know your parents very well.They are nice people.We used to mingle w/ them specially during Filipino parties in Intercontinental Hotel,Al-Ain.Kindly extend our warm regards to your mom and dad.We miss them in Al-Ain.
Regards,
Jevic and Rosemarie Lomberio

Re: Norway Restores Faith in Humanity

Renjie Butalid — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:20:57 -0000

I could not agree more!!

Re: Norway Restores Faith in Humanity

Igniter — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:11:50 -0000

awesome. simply awesome. this is humanity at its best.

Re: Social Finance Extraordinaire

Renjie Butalid — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:46:53 -0000

For sure bro, Im excited to see where they take their new venture as well!

Re: Social Finance Extraordinaire

Anf — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 18:44:16 -0000

Great advice from Karim, and great potential for his new venture with Assaf and Norm. Wishing them the best of success. Lots of learning to be had I'm sure.

Re: My Personal Manifesto for Living in an Age of Uncertainty

Renjie Butalid — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:15:54 -0000

Thanks for leaving a comment Petrina! Appreciate it. Where are you based now? Are you back in Canada or still in Sweden? I will definitely be taking these lessons learned with me to my next gig, full-time, part-time or project based. And you're right, not too many people can say that they are mobile and flexible, and in the world we live in today, I definitely feel that this is an advantage. And yes, if I come across any initiatives or projects that would be a perfect fit for you, I will definitely let you know! Hopefully, we can find a way to work together at some point in the future as well! :)

Re: My Personal Manifesto for Living in an Age of Uncertainty

Petrinaakor — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 12:50:38 -0000

Hey great post. It pretty much sums up how I have been feeling over the past 2 years. After having done similar in sweden I think its important not to forget the important lessons learnt from your experience moving forward. It will be vital in locating where you fit in the job market and how to leverage what you learnt into whatever you do next. Not too many people can say they are mobile and flexible thus giving you the chance to shine. Personally I look forward to finding partners in crime such as yourself to try working towards answering some of the questions and problems being faced by others in the world. Keep me in mind if you come across any initiatives that would need logistics and humanitarian coordination expertise.

Re: Reflections On My Personal Leadership Journey

Renjie Butalid — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 03:56:25 -0000

Thanks for the kinds words Mark, appreciate it bud!

Re: Stop. Take a Moment. Just Breathe.

Renjie Butalid — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 03:55:35 -0000

Thanks for the comment dude, appreciate it!

Re: Reflections On My Personal Leadership Journey

Mark_212 — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 20:25:47 -0000

I loved your moving speech which you gave to us last year!

Re: What I hope to accomplish in the Philippines (December-February 2011)

Renjie Butalid — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 15:34:53 -0000

Thanks Akhila! Im definitely looking forward to it as well! :)

Re: What I hope to accomplish in the Philippines (December-February 2011)

Akhila — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 15:06:46 -0000

How exciting! Best of luck on your trip and journey and I'm looking forward to hearing about your progress, findings, and achievements.

Re: Lessons from Starfish

Akhila — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:08:05 -0000

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where you'll go and what you'll achieve! :) Keep writing!

Re: Lessons from Starfish

Renjie Butalid — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 11:52:48 -0000

Thanks for the great advice, I will definitely not let the complexities of the issues weigh me down and paralyze me, and will certainly be making my way to the Philippines with an open mind. Glad to hear that Im on the right track, its always good to get affirmation every now and then! :)

Re: Lessons from Starfish

Akhila — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 21:04:27 -0000

Renjie, you are definitely taking a sensible and effective approach to engaging in development. Understanding the background and the social, political, and economic fabric of a country and community is a good step towards figuring out where you can best contribute and how you can contribute effectively. At the same time, I would note that you shouldn't let the complexities of a place paralyze you-- sometimes, just going and living abroad for a while is the best thing you can do to better understand a country and/or a community. Sometimes, all the studying, academic reading and writing you can do won't be as effective to getting you to take meaningful action as simply living with a community and getting to know people, one-on-one.

And I'm with you on the empathy and humility. That's extremely important in international work, and we need to maintain a constant willingness to learn, grow, adapt, be flexible and admit it if we're wrong.

Re: Lessons from Starfish

Renjie Butalid — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 02:58:27 -0000

Thanks so much Akhila, it means a lot coming from you. I really enjoyed your guest post on The Leaders Blog as well.

This topic is something that I have really been giving a lot of thought to. It looks like I'll be heading to the Philippines this January/February to do some research for my upcoming Masters thesis, which will essentially be a comparative study between the growth of the economies of the Philippines, South Korea and Japan from the 1950s-present, and the conditions/reasons - political, social, cultural, economic, or otherwise - that prevented the Philippines from achieving the same degree of success as their Asian counterparts. Before I can even begin to think about where I am best suited to contribute to Filipino society, something that I have always wanted to do for a number of years now, I know that a better understanding of the socio-economic framework, the cultural mindset, as well as the systems of politics/business that exist in the country, will go a long way towards me lending whatever support I can to people in the country who want to see a brighter future for themselves.

Aside from not adopting the "saviour complex" when going into developing countries, there definitely has to be a high degree of empathy and humility in knowing that you certainly don't have all of the answers, deferring to local leadership and playing that supporting role, that you mentioned.

Cheers,
Renjie

Re: Lessons from Starfish

Akhila — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 09:41:59 -0000

What a great post. Thanks for writing it and bringing a reasonable voice into the debate about DIY aid, which has inflamed so many tempers it seems. I especially like this quote:

"The fact is however, and I agree with Algoso, that the real work of change on the ground takes time and will not come from the foreigner, typically a Westerner, who comes into the developing world to save the day. Rather, it comes from the local community where the change is needed who rally together to make their community a lot better for themselves. From a previous guest blog post by Akhila Kolisetty, the real key is not to adopt the "saviour complex" where you see the poor and marginalized as the "other" that need saving, but rather, understanding the lives and struggles of the people and the community you are working with, bringing your skills and experiences to the table in order to join them in the journey of realizing their goals."

I (obviously, perhaps) agree that change is ultimately not going to come from us, going into a developing community - but from local leaders and activists who become empowered to take action and lead their own communities to change. We as Westerners can do our best to help but we should defer to local leadership first, not go in and try to be the leaders ourselves. There is a role for us, but it's not the leadership role- but the supporting one.

(P.S I wanted to comment over at the take action blog but the commenting system doesn't seem to work there..)