Set on You

One day, when I was about six years old, my dad gave me a couple of Beatles cassettes. Upon the first listen, I instantly fell in love with the band that would be one of my introductions to the world of rock.

At a later point, I began to listen to the solo projects of each member produced after the band's breakup. Recently, I was hearing a song by George Harrison (which I later learned was a cover) called "Got My Mind Set On You".

From my perspective, if the Beatles had continued on past 1970, their sound in the 80s would have been no different than this. George is (currently) my favorite Beatle because of this song. :)

Anyways, I wanted to bring up this song because it provoked quite a few thoughts within me. I've got my mind set on certain goals (not necessarily relationship-wise, as is the main intention of the lyrics), but I know there's time and effort involved in reaching them. But it's good to not jump the gun sometimes, as you might miss important details. It also has proved to be a bit of a motivator as well. I do have a plan of attack set for my future career, and so far, I'm progressing at a steady pace.

Thanks, George.

2016: The Final Days

I suddenly realize that we're in December now. Things are starting to gradually fall into place as this year ends.

I spent the first half of my year studying to earn my bachelor's degree. It was stressful enough to fit all of that in three years. But now I completed that first step towards my future career. I have yet to apply for a graduate program, but I hope to attain that step soon.

I spent the second half training to become a soldier. It was a bombshell for everyone (myself included), yet I felt like this fit in well with what I strove to be. BCT pushed me beyond my perceived limits, and I found myself no longer in the mental purgatory that kept me stagnant for the past few years. I like to think that I'm finally moving with the plan, as I have discovered many things about myself that have lit the way to where I am now.

As I enter the final phase of my initial training in the Army, I look forward to the new adventures that await in the coming year. Being in the Reserve, I already have a game plan set for when I get back home in Chicago. Greater challenges wait for me in 2017; time to give them a taste of the new me!

Persons of Interest! #3: Echo Company 2-13th 3rd Platoon - Spartans

It feels good to access this blog again! I have recently just graduated Army Basic Combat Training, and it makes me proud to say that I have trained alongside the best men and women over those ten weeks.

From reception to graduation, I came to know these people as my battle buddies. Sure, we had our infights and whatnot, but we learned to work together as a team to complete our tasks. At the same time, we developed a strong bond, motivating each other to push beyond their perceived limits and become something more.


I can recall a vast array of memories made during BCT. Shenanigans in the bay, making way for Charlie Company at the dining facility, and my constant begging for a battle buddy to the restrooms. I could go on, but those will be for another post.


Some of these people left the platoon early on, others went on to Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at other posts, and others (myself included) stayed on post for our AIT. Regardless, I wish all of these people the best in their future endeavours.

The Countdown Begins...

Since I have less than three days to ship out, I might as well leave this on my website in case I am not able to post afterwards. If anything, I hope to see some of you guys when I come back, and I'll have quite a treasure trove of stories to tell!

Persons of Interest! #2: Dennis Ho

(I actually don't have this hair now as we speak. I cut it a while back.)

This is Dennis, a Vietnamese-American from Rockford currently studying at UIC. Like many of my close friends, I can't quite remember the exact moment we met. However, we got to know each other pretty quickly from wherever that point was, creating a friendship which would spice things up at Newman quite a bit.

From my perspective, Dennis is dedicated and very hard-working. Having to come all the way here to Chicago from Rockford, and then staying over the summer to work for campus housing...that's commitment. His activity with Newman should be duly noted as well, with him having a very strong faith, which is expressed through his service to the community.

It's been a while since I've seen him, but I hope to see him again at Newman or wherever. It feels a bit boring without him around to do our signature handshake.

Dennis, if you're reading this..Sup, Ho.

It's finally here!

A few days ago, something wonderful happened in Skokie...

...today, I got a taste of that wonder...

You better believe it!

Cutting to the chase for all my non-Filipino viewers, the Filipino version of McDonald's, Jollibee, finally opened up a Chicagoland location! Now I don't have to go all the way to New York or Vegas for Chickenjoy or spaghetti!

Now to wait until they open a Max's in the city as well...

Persons of Interest! #1: Katie Soprych

As I continue to journey on the adventure of a lifetime--pardon the cheese--I not only encounter places; I will often run into people that make significant impacts on my life and shape the path I walk.

Based on a series of Instagram/blog posts done by another good friend of mine (check out her blog sometime), I've decided to start a Persons of Interest series on The Mapping. It's only appropriate that I take note of my friends and fellow adventurers, as I cannot truly traverse alone.

Which leads us to the inaugural post of this series.

Meet Katie Soprych.

Photo creds: Christy Manaois

I met her a year or two ago at the St. John Paul II Newman Center. We sometimes chatted a bit at Newman, though we hadn't been that close back then. It was only until recently, when we traveled to Rome and Krakow, that we became very close friends, our friendship sealed by the many memories made during the trip to World Youth Day 2016.

Katie is quite the adventurer, not afraid to act on her curiosity. She is definitely willing to step outside of her comfort zone and try something new, an attribute which definitely could prove useful for her, as she has recently been undergoing student leader training from Evangelical Catholic. It brings out the best--and often the funniest--out of her, and she is very outgoing. She has an extremely open heart and can also maintain some very interesting conversations.

(In other news, she's planning on building a very extravagant house with all the landmarks she's seen in Rome.)

I'm very blessed to have gotten to know her during the trip, and I believe she herself will have quite a big adventure (and a big map to complement it).

World Youth Day 2016 Part Two: Krakow, Poland, a city of saints!

After our three day stay in Rome, we joined up with other friends at Krakow, Poland. The next week would be some of the most fruitful and spirit-filled days we would ever experience. Here are some of those highlights, in no particular order:

Jasna Gora Monastery, home to the Black Madonna of Czestochowa

This was honestly my favorite part of the trip prior to the apex of our pilgrimage. The highlight of this, well, highlight, was the prayer service called the Appeal, in which us, along with our fellow pilgrims, placed our petitions before the Blessed Mother and her Son.

Chapel of St. Kinga at the Wieliczka Salt Mine

This place has an incredibly rich history, ranging from the Neolithic period to the present day. Aside from being able to lick the walls of the mines and (regrettably) drinking from a spring of extremely briny water, I was bombarded with images of Polish culture and history which were quite literally carved into these mines. At the Chapel of St. Kinga, I was awestruck by the artwork and the effort placed into creating it. Also, Kevin and Molly, with Fr. Pat's blessing, renewed their marriage vows in the chapel. Many years!

Never again.

As you can read above, this was a very solemn and somber highlight. It's unthinkable that some would go so far as to commit genocide for the sake of "purification". Let this chapter of history remind us to never forget the value of all human life, and let it also give us hope in building a world where everyone's dignity is respected.

I did not take pictures of the Campus Misericordiae (my battery basically died when we got there), but it was quite the walk! Took us a few hours to walk all the way and then camp out in our section for the vigil. We walked around, interacting with the various international groups that came, and I served as our group's hype man, cheering on the other countries that came. Spain. Germany. Italy. Poland. Canada. Armenia. The Philippines. Singapore. France. Portugal. Brazil. And many others!

The morning after our campout, we had Mass out in the Campus. Pope Francis passed us by as we cheered him on. During this weekend, His Holiness stressed that we should not confuse comfort with happiness, and that we must take an active role in the Church as the next generation of apostles.

There were many other places, such as St. John Paul II's apartment and the site of the Divine Mercy apparitions, but there's a reason why I added "city of saints" to the title of this post. See, the patrons of WYD 2016 were Sts. John Paul II and Faustina Kowalska, who both lived in this city. But they were not the only saints present at this event. The city of Krakow was filled with saints of the Church on earth, today's generation of Catholics. Today's generation of Catholics will serve as the new leaders in the mission of spreading the Gospel of Christ, and we are called to push in this mission.

"Blest are the merciful, blest are the merciful, for it is mercy that shall be shown to those who show mercy."

Hope to see you in Panama in 2019!

World Youth Day 2016 Part One: Rome, the Eternal City!

Now begins the posting.

On July 21st, my friends and I flew from Chicago to Rome. This was the pre-trip to prepare us for World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland.

The first day, when we arrived, we were greeted by Father Patrick, the pastor of our campus Newman Center and a good friend of ours. We later met up with two more friends, Alberto (whom I had recently met on campus) and Marco, who would serve as our guides in Rome.

We went to various historical places and landmarks in the city, including, but not limited to, the Colosseum, the Church of the Gesù, and the Vatican.

As our group would eventually arrive in Krakow, we held Mass in a variety of places. From the catacombs of the early Church to the crypt holding a relic of the True Cross and finally to the tomb of our patron, St. John Paul II.

St. John Paul II, ora pro nobis!

We had our fellowship time as well, making way for laughs and smiles during these three days. We had quite the taste of Rome as we ate pizza, pasta, and gelato. Shenanigans included, but were not limited to, messing around in "Mussolini Park" (One of our group tried to make that place "historically significant." You know who you are.) and imitating pterodactyls.

When the time came to depart, we had to say our goodbyes to Marco and Alberto. Loro sono molto bene, and we miss them dearly. Ci vediamo, i miei amici!

This concludes part one of the World Youth Day 2016 story. Part two to come soon.

Point A

(OK, it's actually not really Point A, but for the sake of this blog, we can "begin" here.")

'Sup, reader. Nice of you to stop by at the grand opening of this blog. I've been meaning to start something like this, and the itch finally got to me.

First things first, introduction. My name's Mark. I am a recent college graduate, having completed my bachelor's in history at the University of Illinois at Chicago (where I probably will return to complete a master's in history teaching at a later point). I am currently expecting to ship out to Army basic training at Fort Jackson, SC in August, so don't expect a lot of initial posts for the remainder of the year, but I will get started on that as soon as I get out of there.

There are other things to note about myself, including, but not limited to:

-I am a cradle Roman Catholic, but I currently attend a Melkite Catholic (Byzantine Rite) parish. Will expand on that later when the opportunity presents itself.
-I take kung fu classes. Currently at advanced blue rank as of this posting.
-I'm Filipino.
-I listen to metal. \m/
-Sci-fi fan.
-I like traveling. (I mean, this blog is journey-themed for a reason, right?)

This will serve--as the blog's name suggests--as a map of experiences. There's a variety of ways to catch my attention, and if something impacts my psyche, I'll mark it on this map.

Right now, I'm kinda just winging this whole blog thing, but hopefully, I can get the hang of it. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy the adventures!