I wrote my Star☆Danced entry about raising funds for Sendong relief operations without any pretensions or high expectations. I just wanted to do something! I hoped to raise at least $50, $100 at best. It’s not a lot, but I told myself that it was $100 that didn’t exist prior to my post, and I operated under the hope that every little bit helps.

My initial goal was met by the second day. The days rolled by and new donation notifications greeted me when I checked my email each day. Finding that I had underestimated the generosity of others and the power of the Internet was a pleasant surprise indeed.

When all is said and done - which is another way of saying after Paypal fees but anyway -, I am pleased to report that we were able to raise $332.00/P14,445.00! That’s not loose change at all, and it’ll definitely go a long way in relief operations for the victims of Typhoon Sendong. Thank you to everyone who reblogged on Tumblr, shared on Facebook, and supported this little endeavor of mine. It’s really a testament to how the little things can make big differences! 

The most special of special thanks to the lovely people on Tumblr (Nikki/@bentobride, Chin/@caravangirl, Jessica/@elebuufish, Elerem/@elledejavu, Janine/@shinkeismillenniumcreampuff, Catherine/@plasticjunkie, Kyra/@devolvedarling, and Clarissa/@bunnycatcher) and LiveJournal (Anj/@propertyoftheuchiha, Christina/@katnaper, and Mel/@moptech), and to my wonderful godmother, Ninang Lulu, for sharing their love to the people affected by Typhoon Sendong through Star☆Danced. I will always be grateful for your generosity. ♡

I removed the Paypal donation links from my original post. Since it will still show up in the reblogs of others, I’m hoping that it will be completely disabled in the next few days to prevent anyone from accidentally sending me money. If anyone still wants to give through Paypal, please click here and here. Again, I am no longer accepting money for Sendong relief operations - I use my Paypal account for personal purposes, and holding on to other people’s money is such a stressful thing, haha! - so if you wish to give through Paypal, please click either of those two links.

I will post an accounting of sorts for all the money I received and how we got to this wonderful amount once I turn over all the funds to the proper channels. I’m just waiting for the holiday rush to die down and I’ll get right on it, so that entry should be up within the week. I’m also working on print production this week, and with everything that needs to be done, I’m hoping to mail them by January 4.

Again, my deepest gratitude to everyone who pitched in. Have a blessed Christmas, everybody! You’re all amazing. ☆

Last weekend, Manika Manila, our local BJD community, had its annual Christmas meet, Monito Manika 2011. I hosted it. It was a potluck party, but since not everyone would be able to bring something to share, monetary contribution was collected in order to offset the cost of food prepared by my lola. The next day, news of Sendong and its wrath on Cagayan de Oro and Iligan poured in. I found myself unable to think or talk or post about anything else. With the blessing of my lola, Manika Manila decided that the money we raised was to be donated to Typhoon Sendong relief operations. The money was already with me, and it was all just a matter of dropping it off to the proper channels.

I found a particular channel that couldn’t have been more appropriate for us.

This is my surprise for you, Manika Manila. A portion of the money we raised was used to buy a dozen of these adorable teddy bears to give to Yakapin: Batang Hilagang Mindanao, a campaign spearheaded by my good friend Pia/@photograpia on Tumblr and her mom to collect teddy bears and stuffed toys for the children affected by Typhoon Sendong in Northern Mindanao.

We BJD owners know that our dolls are not just dolls; not to us, at least. They are outlets for our creativity and self-expression, the personifications of characters we’ve long crafted in our minds, or simply quiet companions that we can look to for comfort when the world gets too crowded and noisy for our liking. At an age where we supposedly should’ve lost interest in dolls and other “childish” things, we still manage to see our dolls - and by extension, the rest of the world - with a certain childlike wonder. Thus, we can better see and appreciate what a toy would mean to a child. For a child, a toy is not just a toy. A simple teddy bear can become a child’s outlet for his emotions, something soft and warm that he can hug, a friendly face where he can find comfort in solace in a world that can be so big and scary.

Look at his friendly little smile! He and his eleven other brave bear friends will be sending smiles and hugs to the children of Northern Mindanao. :)

Give a hug to the children of Northern Mindanao by giving them a lovable stuffed toy to hug. Refer to this entry for various drop-off points around the metro where you can leave your stuffed toys and teddy bears. I’ll also be reblogging it here. Don’t forget to like Yakapin: Batang Hilagang Mindanao on Facebook!

A Public Service Announcement from Star☆Danced

This post is to raise awareness about a stolen doll. The doll was stolen from Angeline/@yukifrein on LiveJournal last May 7 2011, during the Metro Comic Con 2011, where she had a booth.

The doll’s name is Eirin. She is a Fantasy Doll Nina in White Skin. She has light brown eyebrows, blue eyes, a straight pink wig, and body blushing. The MSC coating behind her legs is chipped/scratched. The photo above depicts her as she was last seen. She was wearing a cream-colored bunny hat, a purple-and-black striped long-sleeved top with a black backless shirt on top of it, a denim skirt with white lace, white boots and brown panties. This doll also received modifications from her first owner, though the nature of the modifications is currently unknown.

Picture is from Angeline/@yukfrein on LiveJournal. Read her original post here. This information will also be posted on Den of Angels.

Please reblog this post and help this girl get back home safely. If you see any suspicious looking sales on the DOA Marketplace, Multiply, Sulit or even a local toy or hobby shop - especially those smaller specialty shops that focus on niche collectors and accept secondhand sales -, please don’t hesitate to leave a message in my ask box!

The Philippine BJD community is quite small, but awareness of the existence of these dolls - and by extension, their monetary worth - has become more mainstream. People tend to dismiss these dolls as the expensive toys of spoiled brats, but most of us - myself included - are decidedly middle-class, and we work hard scrimping and saving in order to afford our dolls and all the expenses that come with owning one. The financial investment is great, yes, but the emotional investment is even greater.

I hope this serves as a wake-up call for doll owners to practice extra caution and vigilance to prevent more resin kidnappings in the future, and to practice this caution and vigilance not just on our dolls, but on everything we own!