God's birthday gift

I didn't want to have a party to celebrate a milestone birthday, all I've wished for was to appreciate God's creations and this time I've thought maybe that would be best done in Palawan. Since the start of the year, I've prepared myself to fulfill that birthday wish so I patiently looked and waited for the cheapest promo air fare that I would find.

The first place in Palawan that I've wished to see was of course the Underground River but my special child couldn't possibly go there so I forgot the whole idea and just decided to have a city tour, anyway, there could be rains or typhoon in August, I've thought. Learning about that, my daughter gave me a birthday gift in advance to possibly have a day tour in Dos Palmas and I and my companions were so happy we could at least go there.

A week before the flight to Palawan, I saw my Tiens network marketing upline at the office where we get our family's supplements, and she sat beside me, perhaps because I seldom see her these days. I was looking at the Medical Information Form of PAL for my special child so she learned that we will be going to Palawan the following week. She said her Goddaughter is a manager of Inland Tours in Palawan, called her up and let me talk to her.

After that day, I had several conversations on the phone with Jackie, the manager of Inland Tours who persistently encouraged me to see the Underground River until it was just a few days left before our flight. We discussed possible ways to bring my special child but not inside the cave like me on the first shift and my husband on the next shift inside the cave but I told her the tour to the Underground River would still be impossible since it was just a few days from our flight and I and my two adult companions didn't have permits yet. She said August is not a peak season so we could still get permits.

August 23 was already full, according to Jackie, so the day of our tour to the Underground River fell on my birthday, August 24. The weather was great in Palawan. I've wanted to appreciate nature on this day and God allowed me to see one of His most beautiful creations. It was so clear to me that this was His birthday gift to me. There is a cathedral inside the Underground River, and my wish to at least pass by a cathedral was also fulfilled.



The following day was the Dos Palmas Day Tour. It was a Sunday. I wasn't inside the church but I felt closer to God through the sound of the waves and the wind touching my face. The feeling was so calming and all I could say was "Thank You Lord!".

Stretch to the max

When we go to an eat-all-you-can restaurant, we don't really taste everything, For viands we knew we haven't tried yet, we still choose what we'd like to taste. If only problems or trials are like that, we couldn't blame anybody but ourselves because we chose them.

Perhaps the biggest challenge or trial a person could have encountered, especially a mother, was when all her children were sick at the same time. All my three children got sick almost at the same time and it was truly very stressful, but I am aware that the right thing to do is simply to "stretch to the max", without snapping. I reminded myself that was what God wanted us to do, to stretch because he wanted our potentials to be maximized. God always knew up to what point can we stretch, so my exposure to such trial lasted for a short period of time only. After that, what is important is that we were stretched to a point, ready to tackle more trials and challenges.

In the midst of a trial, there is always a blessing in disguise that we have to recognize. In my case, that happened while my first child was sick and a day before my second child got sick. We had the eyes of our third child (a multi-handicapped special child), checked by a well-known ophthalmologist because the school for the visually impaired where we wanted to enroll her wanted to know the status of her blindness. "There is blood flowing to her eyes now, at her age of almost 10, if blood should stop flowing to her eyes it should have happened a long time ago." Though the doctor also said it cannot be assured up to when that condition will be sustained, that is a real good news that helped me not to worry too much about my first child. But right after the check-up with the eye doctor was the check-up with the neurologist and the doctor's remark caused me to worry about this special child because she is underweight. And then almost that same day, though it was past midnight already, our second child decided to be admitted to the hospital because of acid reflux he thought will no longer recur. Thank God the pain did not persist and he was discharged from the hospital after one day.

That was not the end of the trial because our special child started sneezing the night her brother was admitted to the hospital. So when I was sure my son will already be discharged, I stayed at home to monitor this third child and performed preventive therapies. That was only for one day because the next day, we brought our special child to the school for the visually impaired for our orientation and finalization of details required for enrollment.

I've heard it when we first went to that school and I heard it again that day from a special child's guardian that it should be the parent who should go to the special education school and learn with her special child. She was just sharing her dilemma because she is the grandmother of the child she brought. I was again somehow affected by this comment because it took years for me to personally attend to my special child full time and bring her to a school. I was trying to look for the best reasons why it should happen that way and the best I found was the trainings I had undergone on health and wellness, especially learning to perform the therapies that could help my loved ones prevent illnesses or recover fast from illnesses.

Only God knows what could be the real reasons, perhaps He allowed me to stretch to the max first before pursuing this new challenge of educating a special child which is a totally unfamiliar area to me.

Birthday of a green turtle

Wendy, our pet green turtle or terrapin, became a symbol of strength in our household after surviving 5 months without food because of getting sick from overfeeding, at the same time not being able to move because of blindness resulting from the same illness.


That was 4 years ago and she was still a baby then, so she is 4 years old now! Here are her photos, the same photos I published 3 years ago, the photo when she was still a baby and her photo at one year old, and her photo now. The same gray stone will always be there in her pool to see how big she has grown, and it has now served as her stepping stone.

Happy birthday, Wendy !!

My Conversation with God on June 12, 2001

Exactly 10 years ago, a boring task of cleaning the stones of a mineral water pot led me to reminisce my disappointments in life and at the same time ask God why such should happen. Awesome answers came from my own thoughts which made me suspect that I was already conversing with God. The final outcome of our conversation was the main reason why I created this blog because I felt obliged to share God's message to mankind, but waited for His time to do it, and that was when I learned about blogging in 2008.

Since I had to emphasize the main message of God, I haven't shared the other topics of our conversation and that is what I'd like to share now.

Since there were germanium stones that I was cleaning then, I told God that He is so kind because he created cures for cancer, but what about AIDS? He said He provided everything to mankind including all the cures to illnesses but mankind doesn't want to recognize them. I asked in my thoughts, where are these cures? I was outside at that time so I looked at the ground at a distance. The sun was shining brightly and there were a few plants. I thought perhaps God meant the plants that contain all cures.

I'm glad I didn't tell that part of our conversation the first time I wrote about it because now I think I was partly wrong. Now I realize that God meant practically everything abundant that can cure illnesses like sunlight and the magnetic field of an unpolluted ground. And they are free!

To verify if I was really talking with God, I asked what message He'd like to tell mankind through the total number of stones that I was cleaning. After cleaning, when I counted 143 stones, I immediately knew that His message was "I love you", but I was surprised so I verified by counting again and that was really the total number of the stones.

While thinking about my disappointments, I also told God I wish there was a child who could help me forget about those disappointments like my children did, when they were still babies and toddlers.

God proved His love by giving me what I wished for: a child who was born right inside our house, a year after. She was a very special child because she was born blind and had cerebral palsy. Through this child, God shook off my tendency to expect too much from people. That tendency was the real cause of my disappointments. For almost nine years now, this special child taught me to be happy with the smallest things people would show me.

God's message of love was for the whole of mankind. If He hasn't proven His Love for you yet, don't be impatient because He will prove that to you in His time. While waiting for that time, He promised to shake what can be shaken and removed from you, like impatience or even ungodliness.

"You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised". (Hebrews 10:36)

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails". (Proverbs 19:21)

He died a Toastmaster

I was referring to my father, Luis Taa, better known as “Louie” or "Louie Boy", who died yesterday morning at the age of 82. His 5-year old cancer did not add more years to his life. These might be straightforward statements but that was part of my learning from Toastmasters Club, which my father had been convincing me to join for more than two years. I finally decided to be a member in 2003 and also persuaded my daughter to join too. My Toastmasters Club experience lasted only for 3 years but it brought about a big change in my life, and that is to be the best I can be. In those 3 years, I followed my father's footsteps by becoming an officer of Makati Toastmasters Club. I also joined Toastmasters Club contests where I won a place in some. During those years, my father was the wind beneath my wings.

The last time I was able to visit Dad was last month. Through a text message, he complained about a constant pain on his waist and asked me for a remedy I might know, since I have acquired some knowledge in TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine. He was bedridden during the first and second time I visited him that month, but during the second which was also the last time, he did not look like in pain. He was speaking in straight English, I haven't heard a single word in Tagalog so I jokingly said, "Are we in a Toastmasters Club meeting?" and he answered, "Yes, we are!". I then jokingly told my companions that we are in a TMC meeting and nobody should speak in Tagalog. After some time, I brought my special child to him, so we could "pray over" him, and I let my child hold his hand. My child couldn't control her grip because of cerebral palsy, so while we were praying, Dad said, "masakit!" referring to the grip of my child. If we were not praying, I could have reminded him of his offense because he uttered a Tagalog word.

A year after being operated and diagnosed with cancer of the colon, Dad looked strong and healthy until he was able to resume attending the Toastmasters Club meetings. If only the meetings finish early in the evening, he would have continuously attended the meetings. It was his loved ones who suggested he stop attending them so he could always rest early at night.

Though before we left on that last visit I could already sense his suffering because he vomited, my last memory of my father was as a real Toastmaster. He was jolly and made his guests laugh the whole time, a part of the task of the "host of the evening" in TMC meetings. I guess his comembers in Manila Bay Toastmasters Club can imagine how he did that. I had colds during the week before his death so I was not able to visit him again. So that was my last view of him alive, a Toastmaster, lively and witty!

"Once a Toastmaster, always a Toastmaster!"

Desire to inspire!

Today is May 6 and just a while ago, I was looking for scratch papers that are A4 in size. Among the scratch papers I saw was a letter, dated May 6, 2006, written exactly four years ago. It was a copy of my letter to the University of Asia & The Pacific, and I suddenly thought I'd like to share this letter. Of course I have some mistakes when I wrote the letter, like I wish I could have said "Greetings of love and peace!" at the start, instead of "Good day!" What is more important though, are the emotions and experiences I've expressed and would like to share to people who'll chance to read this.

May 6, 2006


Dear Sirs:

Good day! I am the mother of one of the Bases of the UA&P Chorale and also the outgoing President of Makati Toastmasters Club. My daughter and I had the opportunity to go to Greece with the chorale and watch them compete with the European choirs, at Preveza. I was saddened by the news about the termination of Arwin Tan's contract as the choirmaster of UA&P Chorale and I feel that the best way I can explain why this sadness, is to share my own experiences, before, during, and after my trip to Greece with the chorale.

I was scheduled to be installed as the President of Makati Toastmasters Club in July of last year. I've requested for the postponement of the said event because of the rare opportunity to watch the UA&P Chorale compete in a foreign land. The trip was also an opportunity for me to contemplate about the big responsibility I have to undertake for Makati Toastmasters Club in relation to the club's chosen theme of the year. The theme chosen was "Desire to inspire!", because to desire to inspire can be difficult and a person needs to be inspired to desire to inspire.

For my inaugural speech, I needed to say something about the theme of the year and before we arrived in Greece, I didn't have a single idea how to go about my speech. I couldn't believe that everything that happened in Greece was all about the "desire to inspire"! Thus my inaugural speech turned out to be a full account of what happened in Preveza. Below were some portions of my speech:

"We arrived in Greece on July 5. From the Athens airport, we rode a bus to go to Preveza. It was an eight-hour trip but a worthwhile one because we had the chance to see the countryside of Greece. The scenery was breathtaking, all of us couldn't help singing "the hills are alive, with the sound of music.. ". There were also beautiful scenery of the seas and the shores, but the most beautiful spot that I've seen was that of a group of clouds emitting rays of the sun to the ground. It made me feel that "graces will be showered from heaven". I told Arwin Tan, the choirmaster of the chorale, "Wow! That might be a sign that the UA&P Chorale will win!"

"During our first morning in Preveza, my daughter and I watched the UA&P Chorale rehearse. A parade of all the countries joining the choral competitions was scheduled in the afternoon. Arwin Tan gave his final instructions to the choir, using the vernacular since members of the host choir, the Armonia Choir of Preveza, were also watching the rehearsal. So he said in Tagalog, "bago mag-umpisa ang parada, makipagkaibigan kayo sa ibang bansa. Para pag natalo sila, hindi sumama ang loob nila at pag natalo naman tayo, hindi rin sasama ang loob natin". As instructed, members of the UA&P Chorale started a fellowship with choirs from other countries, mostly European countries, before the parade started. By the time all the choirs were gathered at a plaza after the parade, the UA&P Chorale, more known as the Philippines, was already popular. The instruction of Arwin Tan is my first example of a desire to inspire that yielded a very positive result."

"They practiced again the next day and I remembered there was one goal I haven't started yet, which was to compose my inaugural speech. I told myself, maybe I can start doing that while listening to the rehearsal. So I brought my John Maxwell book where I plan to extract my speech material. It was supposed to be about "victory". As I was reading Maxwell's book and listening to the choir at the same time, I noticed that there was a big improvement in the performance of the choir compared to the past day's rehearsal. In fact, I was touched by one of their sacred songs that tears in my eyes almost fell. I felt that everything that Maxwell has written about victory was very appropriate to the choir. I felt that the members were infected with their choirmaster's desire to inspire. The desire became contagious because I felt a strong desire to share to the members of the choir the words of wisdom of Maxwell. I wrote a very short letter to the choir followed by Maxwell's determinants of victory and the next morning, gave it to Arwin, with a short note on a post-it paper, saying: "Dear Arwin, this might be better than nothing to offer to you and the choir." Knowing that Arwin can easily inspire the choir, I requested him to read the letter to the members."

"That same day, in the afternoon, the UA&P Chorale joined the first contest which was the Mixed Youth Choir category. During their second sacred song, there seem to be a Divine intervention because one second before the Alleluia part, the bells in a nearby church rang and stopped only before the Alleluia finale. It was very beautiful. All their songs were beautiful, I was sure they will win in that category. After UA&P Chorale's turn, one of the choir members thanked me, saying he was inspired by my letter. The others also thanked me for my inspiring letter. It was really the magic of John Maxwell and Arwin Tan. All I did was to write on paper because I was inspired by Arwin and the choir members."

"The choir joined two more contests the following days, for the Chamber Choir and the Mixed Choir categories. The night of the last day of the contest was the awarding ceremonies held at the Odeon of Nikopolis. In this city of victory, the UA&P Chorale members received their victory. They were awarded all gold medals and the first prizes for the 3 categories that they joined."

"On our way to the airport after touring Athens for three days, I again saw the welcome sign of Greece that says "Greece welcomes a new myth: Yours". The first time I saw that sign, I wondered what can be "my myth". When I left Greece, I knew the answer: it was the desire to inspire and it is no longer a myth."

I will never forget that experience in Greece. Whenever I think about it, the whole experience looked like a play with a very beautiful script authored by God, no wonder it flowed smoothly. In that experience, I saw several miracles - the rays of the sun emitted by the clouds, the church bells ringing while the choir was singing "Alleluia", and 3 coincidences that struck me because they felt like one in the end: The article of Maxwell about "victory" that I brought, not for the choir but for my speech, the choir's victory, and the awarding at the Victory City or Nikopolis. The whole experience inspired me to have more faith and trust in God, and the people that surrounded me during that experience serve as reminders.

To desire to inspire in indeed difficult but I realized that it can be easy if people will only inspire one another. One good deed from one person can start it all. Or maybe a letter, a poem, a song, the list goes on.

I admire Arwin Tan not only for his professionalism but also as a person. I saw how very professional he was while dealing with the European conductors. All those conductors were very happy when the UA&P Chorale won. Arwin is one person who can easily think of a good deed that can start it all. The landlady of the hotel where we stayed was always irritable. A bunch of flowers from Arwin made her meek as a sheep. The owner of the restaurant commissioned by the hotel to serve regular dinner to the chorale could understand German more than English so Arwin became his "order taker" and interpreter. Both the landlady and the restaurant owner cried when the chorale said goodbye and they both kissed Arwin.

I don't know how to end this. I guess I'll just leave everything to God again. I remember just the other day I was in a dilemma on how to divide my time for the rest of the year and decided to leave everything to God. Not more than a day has passed without lifting a finger, but my dilemma was over when a friend sent me a message through the cellphone that can solve my problem, without him knowing the existence of such problem.

I just wish the UA&P Chorale members, the UA&P management and everybody supporting the chorale peace and happiness.

"Until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His Hand".

Very truly yours,

Maria Luisa Taa-Venida

Musings of a "Batang San Miguel"

Today is my eldest daughter's birthday, I wonder how else can I make her day happy aside from cooking her favorite pasta. Oh yes, I made her use my laptop practically the whole day until the desktop computer was vacated by her brother.

I thought maybe I can search youtube for a song I can dedicate to her so I'm now searching. But my search brought me to an article she wrote for my former employer's newsletter, "Kaunlaran". Here it is:

MUSINGS OF A ‘BATANG SAN MIGUEL’

‘Ang Batang San Miguel’- 1. The epitome of the humble Filipino patriarch, who works day in, day out, to provide for his family. At the end of each grueling day, he finds himself weary, nevertheless still inspired by the blessing that his family is as he reflects and relaxes over a bottle of his favored Gold Eagle beer; 2. The hardworking Filipino laborer, who, in the hard slog of manual drudges, finds time to loosen up with fellow laborers, over warming shots of Ginebra San Miguel Gin; 3. The much-idolized San Miguel cagers, who, in their ‘game-less’ nights, take on the flippancy of your ordinary ‘barkada’ in your ‘inuman sa bahay’ thing, guzzling none other than the ‘barkada’s’ favorite pick-me-up, San Miguel beer.

Much of the familiar personas of a ‘Batang San Miguel’ are owed to the ideal images indicated in San Miguel beverages advertisements. The lesser known of all these personas, is the ‘Batang San Miguel’ that I claim I am. I hardly fit into the embodiment of a modest patriarch, or of an industrious laborer, and especially not of a vigorous San Miguel cager, though I enjoy the liberty of drinking the famed beer in moderation. But I am a ‘Batang San Miguel’ in the most literal sense I could think of. How? Let me walk you through the prospects of an unassuming San Miguel ex-dependent: Myself, a ‘Batang San Miguel’.

My mom became a San Miguel employee in 1987. I was seven years old then, and all I knew was that mommy holds office in a big building of slanted glass poised in a big space of greenery and ponds of orange fish. I did not know that her employment would have repercussions on us, as I did not understand why we should drink Coke (not Pepsi), or consume Magnolia Ice Cream (not Selecta), or even why we should root for San Miguel Team (and not any other when San Miguel is on the court). We just had to because her company endorsed the products. I got used to being a loyal consumer anyway, and that was not so difficult especially when we got product freebies, discounts, and free tickets to San Miguel games. Through all those years I grew up in amusement of San Miguel celebrity endorsers, and my teenage years were consumed in admiration of the hunks that San Miguel cagers were.

I basically grew up reaping most of the benefits of the common dependent. Of course, your usual San Miguel dependent enjoys a whole lot more benefits than product freebies. I, for one, at fourth grade, had my first pair of spectacles prescribed by and loaned from San Miguel. I was entitled to subsequent visits to the San Miguel clinic in Makati for free check-ups and consultations, taking on the San Miguel route through my mumps, chicken pox, measles, typhoid and other childhood ailments I do not even remember having. For the more pleasurable benefit of it, I always tagged along in company outings, which took our family to different scenic summer places such as Cavite, Antipolo and Batangas. I also had the opportunity to suit myself as a spectator in San Miguel events and programs (singing contests, photography exhibits and the like), but the ones having the most impact on me were the performances of the recently founded San Miguel Orchestra and Chorale, which I beheld with much amusement and pride, as they, I believe, are the best in the country.

Though I personally think that all these opportunities and benefits were a great deal to earn, our family’s ‘involvement’ with San Miguel was not limited to mere advocacy of the products, nor to the ‘event-crashing’ we constantly did. Not long after my mom’s employment, San Miguel Corporation organized summer workshops for the employees’ children, which ended with a culminating activity at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. My brother and I were made to join the workshops, myself in the beginner ballet class held at the gym, and my brother in the singing workshop they had for little kids. It was a fascinating experience for me, a shy seven year old, to socialize within the San Miguel complex, then energized and animated with more than enough kids my eyes feasted on (and WOW they were all potential playmates!). The workshops were fun-filled with much dancing, singing and acting, as we prepared for our production entitled ‘The Wiz’, directed no less by the Bernardo Bernardo. It was my first taste of ‘stardom’ as I tottered on stage, as one of the flowers in the play. From then on, I was no stranger to public performance, and my brother, as a Batman action figure, had his debut in the theater at four years old.

Now, at almost twenty-three years old, it gets a little different, I guess. No more perks for me because I AM an ex-dependent. But come to think of it, I got more than what was given to me, that in this adult juncture in my life, I regard myself someone who has a far better title than “The Ex-Dependent”. I am a ‘Batang San Miguel’, because it would be hypocritical of me to say that I was made nothing by all of my ‘dependent’ years. After all those years of product endorsements, event spectacles and glitzy productions, I found myself in a “destined deja-vu”. Interestingly (for me, at least), I turned out to be a public performer, because I took up a course, the love for which, was instilled in me by my San Miguel workshop days ---- MUSIC. I came to love music and I found myself in proximity to the stage, and all the love for that started when I was designated a flower in a glittering powder blue tutu. It was also all those years spent as a spectator to San Miguel’s creative programs that I was unknowingly honing my own creativity and imagination, as I sat through each singing contest, choral competition, dance intermission, photography ehibit, and most of all, the breathtaking performances rendered by the San Miguel Chorale and Orchestra. Not only was I given the privilege to witness all these happenings, but to a greater extent, I was given the honor to become inspired by it all.

I guess for the most part, the benefits enjoyed by San Miguel’s dependents do greatly to ease the everyday lives of the employees, that they are assured of aid to come especially in times of need. Little do they realize that they are in store for more significant advantages, like what being a San Miguel dependent did to me: it gave me the inspiration to find out who I was, and to seek where I belong to. I now deem myself a part of the San Miguel family, as I deem it a valuable part of me. With all of these musings in mind, I am full of pride in claiming myself a ‘Batang San Miguel’.

Lauren Lois Venida
11 Sept 2003

ILLAC DIAZ is my cousin!!

After watching that video, you would understand why I was very proud to shout to the world that "Illac Diaz is my cousin!", although he doesn't even know me. His grandfather and my grandmother are second cousins.

How stupid of me because i was already at the same place where he was last Friday, at the venue of the seminar of Francis Kong where he was one of the guests and I was an attendee. During his portion in the seminar, every time he would present one of his projects, the audience would applaud while I would be very touched and controlling my tears. During the break, there was a long line of people who'd like to talk to him that seem to have more important agenda to tell him, but I still fell in line until there was no more time and the seminar has to resume. Well, maybe there will be a more appropriate time for me to meet him, perhaps when I already have the time for My Shelter Foundation where he is now an AVP.

Illac's purpose in life and his missions are very clear, may God bless him always!

Mission Impossible Part 2

One of my favorite posts in this blog last year was "Pearl Farm in Davao and Mission Impossible", probably because it tells about the most unforgettable chapter in my life, so far. My trip to Davao was sudden, of course also the stay at the beautiful Pearl Farm resort in Davao. I was not on vacation, I was on a mission, and that was to take back a special child to Manila.

My task in Davao was just to wait if the mother, who asked me to adopt her child who was born inside our house in Manila, will bring back her child to me before I go back to Manila. I brought them to Davao because the parents of the mother wanted to see their grandchild who just turned a year old, and whom our whole household, including that of my in-laws, learned to love so much in spite of the child's disabilities. She is blind and has cerebral palsy, two reasons why we and the mother would like to take her back. So she could be taken cared of, which would be hard in a remote town in Davao four hours away from a hospital.

While the mother's parents were enjoying their biological grandchild, my daughter and I stayed for 2 days and 1 or 2 nights at Pearl Farm resort. My objective was to forget the real reason why I was in Davao, and to take away all my worries. Afterwards, a couple in Davao City very close to our family brought us to the Santo Nino Shrine to pray. My prayer was to grant to the child “whatever is best for her welfare”.

On our fourth day in Davao, it was time for the mother and child with a child's relative to meet us in a mall in the morning. While waiting, my daughter and I shopped for some items, but ended up buying only for the child (a stuffed toy and a pair of cute sunglasses). I asked my daughter, "will she be able to wear this?". We were both sad, but decided to think positively. Unfortunately, they did not appear.

There was a garden resort owned by my husband's good friend, Mr. Puentespina, where we were invited to stay even for just a day, so my daughter and I proceeded to go there. But on our way, the child's relative sent me a message through my cellphone saying that they rented a van and that they wanted to follow us. She did not mention if the child was with them.

It was past noon I think, when I was waiting outside the resort for the van. As they went out of the van, I can't describe how happy I was to see the child. I learned that at 2 in the morning, they kidnapped the child using the rented van with driver. The mother kidnapped her own child.

I think that was August 26, six years ago. The adoption process is now over, only this month, and that was the reason why I haven't told a more detailed story like this one in my first post. Her new birth certificate is now filed in the National Statistics Office. It took years to complete that, because we wanted to be sure about the mother's decision, and some red tapes happened during the process.

Both the biological mother and grandparents of the child are now happy that she is in good hands and is loved so much. The adoption process is over, so she is no longer an adopted child.

My Roots

One of the original objectives of this blog was to talk about my hobbies, which was fulfilled in a few posts. I've talked about painting as a hobby, but it was painting the house I wrote about, not painting on canvas, which I decided to defer.

With the new job that I have, I found a deeper objective to publish my first portrait oil painting. It is not my self portrait but the portrait of my late famous aunt, Rio Diaz, who died of cancer. It was Rio Diaz who inspired me to write, and to continue her legacy of inspiring people through writing.

I believe that it was from the genes of my grandmother where I got my talent in arts. I was referring to my grandmother who belong to the Diaz and Abellera clans of La Union, a province in the Ilocos region of the Luzon island in the Philippines. The company where I now belong is based in San Fernando, La Union. Most of my work mates came from this province (not officemates since we are usually scattered in the offices of clients nationwide), so it is not surprising if some of them could be my relatives.

I also belong to the Catriz clan of Ilocos Sur, Vigan. If there is a province I would like to spend my vacation once in a while, it is this province of beautiful antique houses. Unfortunately, I heard that most members of the Catriz clan are now in the United States, but there is one left in Vigan, one of the parish priests there, Rev. Reyes, whose mother is a Catriz.

Probably my technical abilities came from the genes of the Taa clan which originated from the Gandeza clan of Abra, another province in the Ilocos region. Most of my relatives in the Taa clan have professions either in Information Technology or in the electronics industry.

Last but not least, I belong to the Balolong clan of Pangasinan. One characteristic of this clan, I noticed, is the principle that the father should be a good provider, and the head of a family of well disciplined members.

My only hope for these clans where I belong is for the good values and the talents of each clan be sustained and even enhanced, while the bad practices or habits be eliminated. My given name was taken from my father's name who belongs to the "Taa" clan. It fitted me because I turned out to be an IT professional, but I also want to remember that the love for arts is in my blood. Thus I am now using the nickname only my mother and siblings and the people who took care of me used to call me, the name "Lubel". The "bel" part reminds me of two Isabels, one is my mother who is an artist herself, while the other one is a famous painter, Isabel Diaz, the sister of Rio and Gloria Diaz, two famous beauty queens.

Little did my mother know that her story about an aunt who owns an art gallery in New York, who turned out to be Isabel Diaz, plus her charcoal drawing of me when I was a child, will inspire me to recognize that I also have the same talent and love for arts.

Child adoption is a process

Today I wish to share a lesson I learned from a seminar on child adoption. This blog will not be complete without this and I should have shared this a long time ago, but since my own adoption case was still pending, I didn't think I was credible enough to share it.

You guessed it right, the favorable decision for our special child's adoption by our family was finally released! What is left for us to do now is the registration of her new name to the Civil Registrar. Our special child's new name will be Lyca Louisa Taa Venida.

Child adoption is a process that is ideally accomplished within 9 months, depending on the case. The adoptive parents are evaluated based on home studies conducted by a Social Worker. In our case, we had no intention to adopt a child at first, since we are a complete family with a daughter and a son. The special child was born inside our house so the best support we could give was to be a foster family for the child who cannot be supported by her mother who was our house helper. The child was already 3 years old when my husband and I decided to be registered as foster parents of the child, at "Kaisahang Buhay Foundation". In this organization, we learned that fostering a specific child should last only for a year. After that period, we should decide if we'd like to adopt the child, or foster another child. That was how we decided to adopt Lyca, to give her the identity of a family because we learned to love her dearly.

The subject child of the adoption process is the adopted child, so when the process is completed the child becomes your child. So from now on, I will no longer say that Lyca is my adopted child because the adoption process is over. She is now my child, my special child.

The process of adoption should be explained to the adopted child when he is around 6 to 8 years old, the age when he or she will be old enough to understand. It should be emphasized to the child that adoption is just a process just like a mother having a baby, and when the process is over, he or she becomes your child.

I must admit that when I was younger I never appreciated adopting a child. When God gave us Lyca, I could not differentiate my love for her and my own children. I realized how the love of a mother can be so great. An unconditional love will not discriminate, and it can be offered to any child who is not from your own flesh and blood.

Passion and Persistence

When I was new to Toastmasters Club in the Philippines in 2002, I was surprised to hear from the district officers of the club that my father was behind Manila Bay Toastmasters Club’s consistent status of belonging to one of the top Toastmasters clubs in the country. When I became the VP for Education of another Toastmasters branch, the Makati Toastmasters Club, I felt I had to achieve for my club what my father was able to accomplish for his club, even just for the duration of my term and I succeeded. Another success followed the succeeding year, which resulted to our club being included in the Hall of Fame of Toastmasters International.

Whenever Toastmasters Club had a speech contest and I was a contestant, my father consistently supported me, till I reached the division level. When I was retired from work, I had to resign from the club to study, while my father became sickly and also had to resign from the club.



Shown are photos of Taal Lake surrounding Taal Volcano where only a small crater is shown but it is only the mouth of the volcano, because its body is immersed in the lake. It is one of the active and famous volcanoes in the Philippines. I can say it is one of the most visited tourist spot in the country because it is in Tagaytay City, the second coldest city in the country.


The second photo which included my son O.C., and our adopted special child, Lyca at the foreground, was shot at a "viewing strip" that are occupied by restaurants, like the one shown in the third photo which included some members of my husband's clan, the Venida clan, with an overlooking view of the lake and volcano. All these first three photos were shot in January 2005, at the same time my father was exclusively selling lot properties in a subdivision near this viewing strip of the lake and volcano. My father was a real estate broker almost all his life and even in his 70s, almost every weekend he would bring clients to Tagaytay City or meet them there, until all the lots in this subdivision were sold out. It was his usual passion and persistence that made that possible.

When my own family had acquired real estate properties, my father not only had time to always personally meet me to answer my real estate property queries but would even always remind me to immediately attend to concerns related to real property before they become big problems. Even during this time that my father is now sickly, I don’t expect him to exert an effort to help us sell our townhouse unit, but he still continues to help us look for a buyer.

Most people who didn’t know me before I got married were not aware that my parents had separated a long time ago and had their own families. In spite of that, I consider myself very lucky because both my mother and father had spent considerable time to show their love for me, and most of all, to inspire me to do my best.

My father wasn’t present during my growing years but maybe that was meant to be. It was during these past years, even in my 50s and my father in his late 70s, that I needed his presence and advices the most, and I’m fortunate he was always around to guide me.

From my husband Renz and me, and grandchildren Lauren, O.C., and Lyca,

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY to my Dad and the rest of the fathers in the world!

God said I Love You through the stones!

Everyday, I would open my blog and look at the "FEEDJIT Live Traffic Map" at the sidebar, not really to see how many readers have visited my blog but to see how far “God’s Message” in my blog has reached. Though not all of the readers have probably read that post, I assume most of them have read “Blogging” which also has the message.

I was inspired to write this when I saw the countries Russia, China, Bahamas and other countries I’ve seen for the first time in my blog’s map. I’m hoping it will also reach Mexico, Brazil, the northern parts of Canada, northern and central parts of Africa, the Middle East and more.

Until now I can’t believe this will happen, that blogging can be a very comfortable and fastest way to spread God’s message which started from a childish question I’ve asked Him while I was cleaning mineral stones in 2001, and to be answered by God through the number of those stones.

I also can’t believe that my situation since March of this year would happen, that I would be totally jobless and would have time to start blogging. I’m praying hard though that I will finally get a job this time. I firmly believe that this “God’s Message” through the stones has now found its natural course to mankind.

Lastly, I can’t believe I couldn’t think of any post to write this first week of June, until I checked the map again and thought why not share why I’m doing this? Maybe this is what God wants me to do.

Gosh, at this very moment, I was reminded that this coming June 12 will already be the 7th year since God said I love you through the stones!

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!

The Victory

I’d like to fulfill my promise to tell the story about the ancient city of Nikopolis or Victory City in Greece, but there is more to say about victory that can inspire today’s people, so let me see how I can put them together in one package.





Nikopolis (Victory City) was founded by the first emperor of the Roman Empire, Octavian, to commemorate his victory over Antony and Cleopatra during their sea-battle (Battle of Actium) in 31 BC. It was Antony’s defeat in this battle that caused him and Cleopatra to commit suicide. Nikopolis expanded as it welcomed the remaining inhabitants of Cassope the Ancient City, and other nearby villages that were earlier destroyed. Octavian was later named Augustus, meaning “sacred”, because his rule initiated an era of relative peace. Upon his death in AD 14, he was declared a god by the Senate, to be worshipped by the Romans, and the month of Sextilis was officially renamed August in his honour.
Seeing Nikopolis with my own eyes will always be a memorable experience reminding me of two victories: the victory of Augustus and the victory of the University of Asia and the Pacific Chorale. I almost forgot that it will also remind me of these Seven Determinants of Victory of John Maxwell which Augustus and the UA&P Chorale possessed to be victorious:

1. A victory begins with a VISION
A vision of winning - a vision of going “over the top”.

2. The next key to victory is INSTRUCTION
Any achievement must be preceded by careful planning. The better we understand the problems, the greater our chance of victory.

3. There is no success without proper CONDITIONING
Sometimes victory is not achieved by the one who first took the lead. The winner is the one who can work harder for longer periods without quitting.

4. Victory can be realized only if one has a TARGET
The thrill of victory comes only when a stated objective has been reached. No target, no thrill!

5. Victory can be secured only with the help of OTHERS
Victory doesn’t say, “Look what I did,” but “Look what we did”. It’s not my strength, but our strength, not my plans, but our plans; not my work, but our work. Therefore, it’s not my victory, but our victory!

6. Each person must fulfill his or her RESPONSIBILITIES
Every person is important. Failure occurs when a person feels that if he or she does not work, it won’t matter or won’t hurt the group.

7. The last and most important key to victory is YOU
Only you have the power to determine the sacrifice, energy, and time that you will supply to become a winner.

Remember: the seven determinants of VICTORY are Vision, Instruction, Conditioning, Target, Others, Responsibilities, and You!



According to Wikipedia, Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else unrelated. When I was with the UA&P Chorale in Greece to watch them compete in Preveza's international choir contest, I watched them rehearse but at the same time, I was holding a John Maxwell book and was trying to figure out how I will relate Maxwell's chapter on determinants of victory to a speech I was composing for an upcoming event of Toastmasters Club. It was strange because as I listened to the choir, I could hear and see the picture that I was trying to complete in my mind. I asked myself, "Why am I holding this book? Is it for my speech or for the choir?" But I was more surprised to know the awarding will be held in an ancient city named Victory City. I knew the UA&P Chorale will get awards, but more than what I expected, they got gold medals for all the categories they joined, and the grand prize! Maxwell’s Seven Determinants of Victory, awarding at Victory City, and UA&P Chorale’s victory. Was this just a coincidence of occurrences with redundant words or was there serendipity?

Ancient City

Some readers might have noticed that I added digital photos and even changed some. I didn’t expect that the change in the title of this blog and putting more photos will make me more excited! That explains why most blogs have a lot of digital photos inserted. They don’t only attract the readers but also motivate the writers. In my case, “I Don’t Want To Retire!” as a title also makes me more energized and motivates me to share whatever topic I can think of. Probably the real essence of not retiring is not to stop thinking about beautiful ideas and experiences and sharing them.


The photo that I found which can relate to the first item in my “Dreams List”, which is to travel to Greece, reminded me not only of beautiful memories but also of the very rich historical value of the places near the town of Preveza in Greece. The Ancient City of Cassope, for instance, where a photo of the ruins is shown here, was destroyed by the Roman forces in 177-176 B.C. (notice the person afar at the left to give you an idea how far the ruins are from one of the amphitheatres, that are just big white rocks now, where I stood to shoot the photo).




The next photo shows the opposite view from the same amphitheatre, where my daughter Lauren is seated at the photo. At the background is the top of a rock called Stefani near Zalogo Village, about one kilometer from Cassope. The white figures near the cliff of that rock is called “The Monument of Zalogo” or giant sculptures of dancing women symbolizing the 22 Souliotisses women with their children and 6 men who sacrificed themselves by dancing till they fell off the cliff, so as not to be enslaved by the Turks, on December 13, 1803.

When I was a kid, I had wished to go to Greece to see the places of the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology. I didn’t know that a vast learning of the most beautiful war stories in history awaits me if I go to Greece. Watch out for my entry about Nikopolis (Victory City).

Miracles Are For Animals Too

About the same time we bought my pet turtle, a baby terrapin we named Wendy, our pet cat named Ping was limping because the whole of his right hind leg was fully stretched on air behind him. The veterinarian said his bone was broken and advised we try to give him Seven Seas multivitamins but cannot promise Ping’s leg will go back to normal. He was given a regular dose of the multivitamins which incidentally was the same brand we were giving Lyca, our special child. After a week, Ping’s leg returned to normal. The veterinarian was surprised with the outcome, she said that it was a rare case so she’s going to present the case to her colleagues (photo of Ping the cat was shot by Lauren Venida).

When I went to Singapore in September last year, I delegated Wendy’s feeding to my daughter and Lyca’s care giver. Maybe I was wrong to make two persons responsible for Wendy’s food because she was probably overfed while I was away. When I arrived home after a week, Wendy wouldn’t eat. I tried other kinds of food but she still wouldn’t eat. She looked sick and wouldn't move so I used rice washing for her pool and would just immerse her there, hoping she would get nourishment from it, but also tried putting a few drops of the Seven Seas multivitamins. She had no improvement after a month, in fact she even became blind. I thought it was hopeless to bring her to the veterinarian since she was dying. Nevertheless, I continued to change her rice washing pool everyday with the multivitamins every other day. That went on for two months until we noticed that she was no longer blind but still wouldn’t eat.

After five months without food except for the pool of rice washing with a few drops of Seven Seas for Wendy, I chanced to buy pellets made in Germany for baby turtles at a pet shop. We were all very happy that Wendy finally liked the food I gave her, so I stopped the rice washing with drops of vitamins. Wendy is now very active and domesticated, trying to reach every person she sees, her long neck stretched to the max.