El Guayaboso by Novo Concertante

I’d like to end this Mother’s Day month with music that every mother and her whole family will surely enjoy! I can’t also end this month without sharing how Mother’s Day was different for me this year. It was only this year that I realized that any special day that was started to be celebrated on its eve will be extraordinarily special because it will set a happy mood hours in advance.

I had a grand time during Mother’s Day Eve because my son and daughter, O.C. and Lauren, treated us their parents, to a concert where their choir, the Novo Concertante, were one of the participants. After that, we ate at Tereyaki Boy where I enjoyed the food chosen by the two young adults. The food was very good, maybe because we were first satisfied by the “appetizers”, the songs of Novo Concertante.

My camera can only shoot two songs at the most, and I was lucky that there were no distractions while I was shooting their last song, El Guayaboso, unlike the song prior to that where there were a lot of “passers-by”.

You will surely enjoy this video of Novo Concertante singing El Guayaboso (The Liar), because of their unique rendition. O.C. and Lauren were side by side (below the middle of the "Voyages" signage), at the right of their choir master, Arwin Tan. The concert was part of the series of concert of Madz et al Festival 2008 titled “Voyages”. It was a festival participated by choirs conducted by former members of the internationally known Madrigal Singers of the Philippines. Arwin Tan was one of the Madrigal Singers, and he is the conductor of Novo Concertante which won several international awards the past years. He was also the conductor when University of Asia and the Pacific Chorale won the grand prize at the international contest in Preveza, Greece (The Victory post of this blog). Some members of this chorale like my son, are now members of Novo Concertante.



I published this video in “You Tube” and there was a comment that shared the story of El Guayaboso. It is a Cuban folk song composed by Guido Lopez Gavilan of Cuba. "It tells of stories that are purely lies which Gavilan heard from his grandma when he was still little.. he composed the song but was actually made for a group of percussions.. thus keten keten, etc, cum cum, etc.." (parts also sang by the choir).

A "stage mother" like me will not miss to take photos of her children right after their concert so you'll also see those photos here.

The Starbucks Experience

My relatives and I usually go to Starbucks primarily because of the facilities: comfortable cushioned seats, WIFI, good lighting (several warm whites), and nice ambience. The presence of many customers probably also has a psychological effect, because it makes the place cheerful.

Last month, we had a different experience at Starbucks because a “barista” demonstrated to me and my husband how to taste coffee. There are 3 steps, first, smell the coffee, second, slurp the coffee, and third, locate where the taste of the coffee remained.

The sample coffee that she used was pressed Guatemalan coffee. While smelling the coffee, we were asked to identify the complimentary taste or tastes of Guatemalan coffee through its aroma. Of course the barista helped us to identify the tastes of cocoa, nuts and caramel. Next, we slurped the coffee, causing air to be introduced so that the coffee was not so hot when it reached our tounges.

The last step was to taste the coffee, and we noticed that the taste remained only on the sides of our tounges which means that the Guatemalan coffee has a light taste. A heavy taste will remain at the middle and sides of the tongue. Instead of adding sugar and milk to the coffee, we were given byte sizes of pastries that have caramel, which we earlier identified as a complimentary taste of Guatemalan coffee. Surprisingly, the taste of the pastry brought out the natural taste of the coffee. It was the first time I enjoyed a brewed coffee without milk and sugar.

Thanks to Airish, a lady “barista” of Starbucks, now we know how to appreciate just the coffee without milk and sugar. Before that experience, we assume that we just get our money’s worth from the name “Starbucks” which automatically has a nice place. Now we know what the real experience in “Starbucks” is all about.

My Review of "Fresh Revision"

“Fresh Revision” is a new site authored by an internet expert named Vlad Bretgoltz. The titles of his last two posts convinced me to read more. In general, I can say that the posts were easy to read because of its simple and organized layout, and readable type and size of fonts. Though his posts are somewhat technical in nature, he uses simple words that can easily be understood. Readers can see for themselves, by checking his posts as follows:

How To Pick The Right Business Partner Every Time
Top 5 Reasons Why Blogs Fail

For somebody like me who’d like to try the internet business, I’d like to get help from an expert like Vlad. I hope to read from his site the following topics:

1. Creating a website – requirements and steps, preferably with illustrations or examples.
2. Recommended basic services in maintaining a website and the functions of each service.
3. Common problems encountered and solutions.

Since this is a review, I won't ask for more at this point in time. This is supposed to be a contest but I can say I enjoyed reviewing this blog even with just two posts. It gave me the opportunity to suggest at the initial stages of the blog. A few mistakes committed in English grammar or spelling is normal, so after correcting the errors and publishing, a blogger should again read the published post, edit if needed and republish.

When readers give honest comments or reviews and bloggers support one another, we can only expect that a blog will get better over time. This is my wish for “Fresh Revision” because many will benefit from this site and I am one of them.

Pearl Farm in Davao and Mission Impossible

I hope those who read my previous post The Special Child’s Rights will be able to read this post because it tells what happened before we adopted Lyca, the special child. I assumed the responsibility to care for the mother and child after birth and also brought them to the relatives especially the grandfather of Lyca who lived in a remote town in Davao, a province in the Philippines. The biological grandmother of Lyca stayed for a while in Manila to see this child so she was already with mother and child and a cousin, when we all went to Davao, my daughter Lauren also with us. My daughter and I stayed in the city of Davao while the grandmother, cousin, mother and child proceeded to the remote town where they lived. Lyca was already one year old at that time, her disabilities already known to many.

Lyca’s mother had wanted me to adopt Lyca since birth, but I was ready for whatever can happen when they reach their home in Davao. I said I’ll stay in Davao City to wait for them to come back, but only for 3 days. Whether they come back to me or not after 3 days, I’ll go back to Manila.

In the meantime, Lauren and I had the opportunity to stay with one of the closest persons to me when I was a child, her name is Ningning and lives in Davao City, and also the opportunity to spend a two days and two nights vacation at the most popular resort in Davao, the Pearl Farm Beach Resort in Samal Islands. At first I thought it was really a Pearl Farm so I expected to see shells with pearls but they said it used to be a pearl farm. It is now a resort that was initially exclusive for tourists until they opened it to the public. It has two white sand beaches and another two or more beaches at a smaller island.

That two days and two nights vacation at Pearl Farm Beach Resort felt like a gift from God. It was the first time I took a vacation leave from the office after 15 years, and it covered the eve and the day of my 50th birthday!

The video posted here was created by Ully Jerus, the President of Makati Toastmasters Club at that time, but it was just a series of photos that were of course shot by me, or Lauren if I was the subject. Ully used the "Mission Impossible" soundtrack which I feel is very appropriate because the only reason why I was in Davao was because of my mission to take back Lyca which seemed impossible at that time. I was also known as "Malui", and that explains the title of the video.

To make my story short, Lyca’s biological mother fought for her child to be brought back to me. Their place is not suitable for Lyca’s condition because it is a remote town two hours away from the nearest hospital by boat and four hours by bus, and there were limited facilities at the hospital. Worst was the grandmother couldn’t accept that Lyca has disabilities so she wouldn’t tell everyone about them. The latest that I’ve heard was the biological grandmother of Lyca has already accepted that the best for this child is to be under my care.

The Special Child's Rights

At first I thought I shouldn’t participate in blogging about Human Rights because there are a lot of bloggers who can beautifully discuss that issue. Until I realized that “human” includes every person, including my special child. What if no blogger will remember to talk about the rights of a “special child”? I will never forgive myself!

From the time a child is conceived, it has the right to be well taken cared of to be able to live! Any attempt to neglect the child through the food a mother eats or takes in, the fetus will immediately feel “rejection”. That fact is probably unknown to many. The child will remember that feeling until he or she is born. The mother can make up for it of course, but she has to have a thorough understanding of what transpired while the child was still inside her so she can patiently accomplish what needs to be done.

What about a special or disabled child? If his or her disability is congenital and not hereditary, the rejection he or she felt while inside the uterus is unimaginable! In that case the parents of this child will need all the help to be able to make up for the feelings of rejection this child remembers. But the reverse happens to a lot of families with a disabled child. This child is taken for granted, considered a shame to the family and so on and so forth.

Why did we adopt a special child who is blind and has cerebral palsy? Primarily because she has the right to live! Not to be taken for granted but to be loved as part of our family, just like our very own children.

Several times this special child fought to live! She was just one pound when she was born so nobody thought she was going to live. She was brought to the hospital together with the placenta, her umbilical cord uncut. After one day, she was traveled by car to be transferred to another hospital that had available incubators. There was an accident after her blood transfusion that she turned almost gray. She was discharged much earlier than expected because her neighboring babies died because of an epidemic. By the time this photo was shot, this special child was just taken home because of the epidemic at the hospital. Notice her very tiny head at one month and 20 days old, emphasized by the presence of the adults around her.

If you were counting, this child met five risks until she was taken out of the hospital. She met and surpassed five risks, at the time it was not even time for her to be born! All of us concerned about this child can’t help but ask “what is the mission of this child that she has to surpass all those risks and still live?”

Our special child's name is Lyca, and she will turn 6 this July. Through this post alone, I know a part of her mission is accomplished. Her story is a reminder that children like her have the right to live normally and be educated, and most importantly, the right to be loved!

Mom's Greatest Legacy

Whenever I read my previous post about my Mom, it seems unfinished. How could I forget her most important legacy to us her children?

Mom sings to the flowers, no wonder some were even taller than her as shown on the picture in my previous post. If ever there was a value our Mom had consistently exposed us to, it is compassion to all living things. People loved her because they were always welcome in her home. She treated her domestic helpers like her own relatives. That was why one of them would always come to our house every Christmas season to visit her in case she’s spending her Christmas in the Philippines. Her name is Emily and is living comfortably with her own family but she would jokingly say “I should have asked “Mommy” to adopt me!”.

I have committed to contribute a post about human rights on May 15 and it touches on adoption. Thanks to my Mom’s legacy, adoption was easily accepted to our family. With this addendum about her greatest legacy, people will now understand why without any second thought, I adopted a special child.

I love you Mom!

My First Idol and Inspiration

I got a comment from my post “House Painting Turned Into A Hobby” that I am already an expert. Not really, it’s just that I have the confidence of an expert since I’ve learned to paint the house when I was still in high school. It was my mother who taught me how. It was also my mother who was the first to expose me to the field of arts by sketching my portrait when I was a child. Because of that, I discovered that I also have a talent for sketching, especially portraits.

In one of my March posts in this blog, Dreams List, included was to be an announcer or an emcee, not because I really wanted to be one, but because I wanted to experience even just for a while, the job of my mother as a radio announcer and drama talent. I was her avid fan then and I idolized her.

The trophy of my mother as the “Most Valuable Employee” from one of her last employers in Manila had inspired me to always work hard. I longed to get a similar trophy but I knew it was impossible because my longest employment was in the biggest corporation in the Philippines.

Just recently, my mother took up a Medical Assistant course (Medical Transcription in other countries), and she was the valedictorian in her class. When it comes to learning new skills, my mother had always been my inspiration. “She’s already 70. If she can do it, I can do it!”, I would always tell myself.

Last year, my mother’s poem "Soldier, Soldier", got an “Editor’s Choice” award from Poetry.com and the International Library of Poetry. Maybe I can also try to make a poem though I’ve already made one in Filipino, but I can also stop trying to accomplish whatever my mother has accomplished. Her award is enough to inspire me to try to also get an award from blogging. Whenever I wonder how I can do that, I always end up with a mental block (hahaha).

Well, whatever I had fulfilled in life, I owe to my parents. I had tried to follow their good examples though of course, they have talents that cannot be copied by anybody, and I also have my own unique talents.


The photo shown is my reproduction of one of my favorite photos of my mother because she was at the midst of her product of labor, her garden at her former house in Washington State. The first photo of flowers was freshly taken at SM Megamall in Manila using my cellphone. It is something I’d like to give my Mom this coming Mother’s Day if she’ll be here, but of course that is impossible since that will already be tomorrow here in Manila.

Thank you for everything Mom, and HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Reusing and Storing Old Paints

After my “House Painting Turned Into A Hobby” post, I thought I won’t be talking about paints for a time, but very recently, I’ve thought of an idea that can be useful. In the Philippines, it is during this time of year when house renovations are done because of the weather. For the benefit of readers who are my countrymen and the rest who have similar weather as the Philippines, I have to post this topic before the painting season is over.

I’ve said in my last post about house painting that I got used to just one brand of paint which is ACE. In my country however, this brand is not so popular because most find it expensive. Not for me because the regular ACE paint can be used for both concrete and wood, is water based and I can use the same stock of paint for five years or more. It is just a matter of reusing even the small amount of old paints and storing the can of paints properly.

How I reuse old ACE paints:

1. To create different colors of paints to cover small areas (1 quart can cover 10 square meters), I buy a gallon of white ACE paint then mix one quart with a leftover paint of one color (around one third to one half quart of leftover). I do the same for the other colors.

2. If two leftover paints can be mixed to create another beautiful color, I do that too, and then mix white paint if I want a lighter color. The light green paint on the photo was a mixture of leftover blue and yellow green paints and then I added a thicker type of white ACE paint, which is cheaper.

3. After a few years, small holes in cans caused by rusting may not be noticed and cause the paint to harden a bit (just pasty). But just now, I’ve thought of another idea that can make it reusable. In the photos shown, I cut the pasty paint in pieces and place the larger portion in a blender and added water about one third of the volume of the paste, then blend till smooth (the quality of ACE paint is retained when not mixed with any solvent so the less water added the better unless still pasty after blending). I can use the other portion not blended as putty to retouch scratches or holes caused by bumps of pieces of furniture and use the artist’s palette knives to apply this “putty” instead of the usual spatula used in building construction. I’ve thought of that earlier and tried it when I did some retouching as mentioned in my last post about house painting. At that time, I said to myself, I have to think of a way to dissolve this “putty” so I can reuse it as a paint again, so this is it.

How to store paints (applicable to all brands):

1. Clean the rim of the can and the crevice surrounding the rim where the cover fits, removing hardened paints.
2. Cover the can and use a hammer to completely seal it.
3. Hold the top and bottom of the can and invert for a second or two. This will seal the cover with paint from the inside.
4. Label the can and store. The paint can be used next painting season.

"Win $50 Cash Money!"

Here’s an opportunity that I and the rest of the bloggers should grab! It's a contest to blog about the contest Johnny Logan is sponsoring through his blog “Entrepreneur Life”. No doubt, this blog of Johnny Logan is worth subscribing its RSS feed in your reader! My live bookmark has its RSS feed. The winner gets $50 cash through Paypal!

Hurry up 'cause judging will be done by Johnny Logan himself this coming May 19! May the best blogger win!