Moving forward

A reader recently pointed out to me that I am an airhead because I didn't (yet) blog about helping those devastated by Yolanda. Well, I apologize if I am not quick enough to write about it. I wasn't aware that I was working with a strict deadline.

Whenever natural or man-made disasters happen, social media is rife with people sending out prayers and doing what they feel is their part in spreading viral information about the disaster in question. I am not one of those people. Facebook and Twitter are important in spreading awareness (and sometimes hysteria), yes, but they're not often accurate and you'd be surprised how easy it is to scam people on those networks. I would much rather go to legit news websites for facts and then quietly do what I can do to help.

I don't feel the need to announce every single thing I do everyday, nor *all* my opinion on current affairs. This website is about beauty and fashion; I assume people go here to read about topics under those categories. If they wanted to read the news, then this isn't the place to be.  

In any case, I am sharing a couple of buttons here on how to donate money to Yolanda victims. CNN reports that the biggest typhoon in modern times has left up to 10,000 dead in the Visayas, with still many roads and seaways no accessible due to debris. Julia (of Bless My Bag, who was kind enough to put together these buttons), is correct in saying that donating money is more efficient versus giving away stuff. It might be difficult logistics-wise to circulate physical donations in the affected areas (for now anyway).

You can send money to Red Cross via SMS, btw! Just text RED<space>AMOUNT to 2899(Globe) or 4143(Smart). For other ways to donate, you can visit this page on Rappler. It's a pretty comprehensive list of drop-off points and hotlines.

Take action and do your part. Don't be pressured to announce it if you really don't feel like it. :)