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

A New Mission

From the first of May until this morning, I was saying this is going to be an inactive month because my special child's caregiver is having a vacation and I have to take her place.

Until just a few minutes ago, I thought of a better idea. This month could even be a better month than the previous months because I will be forced to stay at home and focus on learning more about cerebral palsy. I bought a thick book about this subject months ago but didn't have the time for continuous reading. Of course I could apply to Lyca, my special child, whatever I'll learn from reading the book and even share my learnings and experiences with Lyca later, even to a large group.

This month therefore is just a beginning of a new mission.

"Lee-Woo", our home's Pi Yao

We are not Chinese, but the turn out of unexpected events helped us to own a big "Pi Yao" figurine or "pet". I can only thank the unexpected donor who made it possible for us to own this powerful Feng Shui creature of good fortune, commonly known as a "money catcher".

Hanz, the owner of the Feng Shui store where we bought the Pi Yao said that we can give it a name, so I've researched for a word in Mandarin that is simple and found "Lee-Woo", which means gift or present. I haven't included a photo here since Hanz also said that the Pi Yao should be respected after it is activated, and I'm not sure if publishing its picture can show disrespect.

I just read that the Pi Yao doesn't have an anus, meaning fortune can only go in and never come out. I've also read that many believe that placing lottery tickets under the Pi Yao will bring good luck!

"Besides that, the Chinese adore the Pi Yao because of its very protective, obedient and loyal nature. It is believed that the Pi Yao will always try its best to fulfill its owner's wish and protect its owner from injuries. Because of these capabilities, smaller version of Pi Yao are often worn as an amulet or carried in one’s bag wherever one goes. Many stories have been told where victims of car accidents or robbery assaults surprisingly escaped the ordeal unharmed and found out later that their Pi Yao amulets they were wearing or keeping had mysteriously broken into two or damaged. It is said that their Pi Yao had sacrificed themselves to protect their owner. Treat your Pi Yao like it's a real pet. Talk to them, pat them, rub them... a happy Pi Yao will go the extra mile to grant your wishes!". (Jenny Lin, author of "Feng Shui Products For A Better Life")

The Undesirable Person

A person can be undesirable to one but desirable to the rest. So it really depends who he or she is dealing with. Here are some suggestions about the undesirable person:

If you feel that you are the undesirable person, think of yourself as someone who has a mission. That will make you feel better.

If you meet an undesirable person, think about God. Why? Because God could be using that person as an instrument to test your patience, and most of all your humility.

Remember that there is an opportunity to accomplish a mission as an undesirable person, and the opportunity to prove your patience and be humble in an encounter with the undesirable person.

Which of the two are you now?

The best thing that can happen

I seem so contented with my last post "What is Tiens" that it took me so long to add another post, LOL!

The truth is a lot of things happened the past weeks. I have resigned from my last job to work full time for my network in Tiens. I realized though that this will not be an easy job so I need to also prepare to be able to support my network, like the most accessible place where they can get the Tiens products. So I've partnered with a stockist to also carry Tiens products aside from her usual product lines. She agreed because she wanted to eventually convert her center into a Wellness Center, which is now one of the main programs of Tiens.

My partner and I now need to be trained to run a Wellness Center though my real objective in those trainings is to be an expert in TCM which is the main philosophy behind a Tiens Wellness Center, and be able to support my network, because the best thing that can happen is for all of us to have our own wellness centers, even if it is just for our own families.

What is Tiens?

Yesterday I read a message in Facebook asking me about the company Tiens. There is a lot to be said about this company aside from the recent update that its President, Li Jin Yuan, has expressed to the Phil. Government the plan to build a Tiens factory in the Philippines.

I learned about Tiens in 2007. Late that year, I became curious about a comb gadget a doctor was using on her hair so she told me her story about saving an old man with that gadget while inside a plane. The old man had a severe headache so the flight stewardess called for a doctor on board. She volunteered, and using the comb gadget, combed the scalp of the man for 5 minutes. The man was comforted and his headache disappeared. The doctor learned that the man had a mild stroke in the past. After maybe six months, I had the opportunity to visit the office of Tiens in the Philippines, Tianshi Phils., where the comb massage gadget can be bought. I learned that it is technically called Hypotension Apparatus, though it doesn't only regulate blood pressure whether it is high or low, but also relieves arthritic pain or any pain in any part of the body.

I started to attend the trainings in Tianshi Phils., one of the branches of Tiens which has offices in 110 countries. It has 9 factories worldwide which include one in Spain, one in Russia, one in U.S. and another one in Indonesia. More factories are to be built, like in Japan, Hungary, and the Philippines. The biggest factories are found in China, which will be part of the Tiens International Health Industrial Park, a 500 hectares area to be launched in August 2010. Tiens received several awards for its modern biotechnology, from different organizations like United Nations, and has all the certifications for high quality, food safety and pharmaceutical safety like HACCP in 2007, ISO 2000-2005, Halal, Kosher,etc. It has acquired leading manufacturing equipments from Germany, U.S., France and Japan.

So much can be said about the company, but people who have used their products have much, much more to say, and that includes me, my family and relatives. For instance, the walking carpet removed the varicose veins of my mother-in-law who patiently walks on it for 30 minutes everyday. I no longer use analgesics because any kind of pain can be relieved by our comb gadget or the "Tong Bao" which is a modern green acupuncture gadget. "Green" because it is safe and needleless.

I had a lot of wonderful experiences to share about the supplements of Tiens. Chitosan reversed my bad and good cholesterol within two weeks (good became higher, and the bad lower), and Cordyceps Mycelium restored the strength I had before I underwent hysterectomy in the year 2000. Tiens Zinc always acted as a "turbo" whenever any of us is sick, so that colds wouldn't take longer than one week. We give Tiens Spirulina to our special child Lyca, which is now the source of her vitamins and other required nutrients. Unlike the other Spirulina in the market, we are sure that the Tiens brand is from an unpolluted source and that can be proven by the liver profile we regularly have, because the results even show improvement.

When you get the comb massage gadget, you better read the accompanying brochure well because it was only lately when we read that it can improve the condition of cerebral paralysis. Our special child has cerebral palsy and though we are still planning to ask her doctor if cerebral paralysis is the same as cerebral palsy, we can't wait but to try it on her. She usually have seizures while sleeping which can be manifested by the hardening of her legs. Just recently, whenever there were a number of times during the day I let her hold the comb like a cellphone (there are many acupoints on the ear), and I also would place it on top of her head, I noticed her legs were easy to bend while sleeping at night, and that will be a good news to her doctor when we see her two months from now.

The best things about Tiens are all these good news about health and wellness that can be shared to you people, and I am more than glad that I have that opportunity through this blog, and of course the opportunity to invite you to join me or my network which I intend to train and monitor full time starting this February. The last but not least good news is Tiens doesn't want any member to be stressed so there is no quota, membership is lifetime, points are cumulative, rebates are high, a 550 pesos minimum purchase per month starts only for a leader who already has a big network, and most of all, membership is only 1,000 pesos, with a free product and catalog.

It was in the early 1990s when I was introduced to network marketing or MLM and learned how it can fulfill the dreams of a Filipino. Years after that, I was disappointed because the original goals of MLM became diluted and seemed to have changed. But when I joined TIENS in 2007, I could see the truth in the real objectives of network marketing and how several people from other countries realized their dreams through TIENS. The true Filipino dream is no longer far from reality, with the help of TIENS!

Freedom at Christmas

On Christmas Day this year, I felt a great amount of freedom. I was free from worries about my backlogs at work, I was free from the workaholic side of me. I emailed my resignation letter during the first week of this month and right after I pressed “Send”, I immediately planned to start decorating the house for Christmas. It was hard to schedule that activity because I knew I had a lot of pending tasks for my current job. I realized that my job was starting to control my life because everything in my mind was how to get things done at work, never mind the house. But as much as I wanted to extend my time to finish those pending tasks, I couldn't because my special child, Lyca, was demanding for my attention also.

A week after I submitted my resignation letter, I also realized that my job has affected my health too. Just a call from a client caused my blood pressure to rise, maybe because about the same time, I also received two SMS messages from other clients. The client who called me up said she wouldn't call me up if there is no problem. That is the sad part of my current job. Calls would never bring good news, only bad ones. So I turned to Facebook although rarely, to find some good news from friends.

Though I still have a month to try to complete those pending tasks, at least for this very important month, I've set myself free. I just hope and pray that my team mates who are my subordinates will cooperate to make my remaining days worthwhile. I also hope they will understand why I had to leave. This was not the first time I thought of resigning from this job because I already felt that I had to make a lot of adjustment since I was used to working in a corporate environment for the 30 years that I've worked. Decision making was dynamic and fast because we always did that as a team, which included the division head who is always an officer in the corporate. In my current job, there were several times I felt all alone making tough decisions. Tough because resources required were not enough and beyond my control.

I had second thoughts about resigning because I wanted to share to my team mates my experiences in the corporate world. But I realize now that could take so much time if a company is not really a corporation in the first place. I also don't have enough time to hasten the process because my team mates were scattered around the country and I need to be always near my special child. I tried to share some of my experiences through the documents and sites I've created in our official domain, but I don't know if my team mates could appreciate them. I wish they could, so that my 6-month stint in working with them would serve its purpose. I will surely miss them when I'm finally out of the scene.

My Little Mermaid

This post is dedicated to my mother who is celebrating her birthday today. She was an example that inspired me to take good care of a special child like Lyca, who was a Little Mermaid during the Christmas party of the rehab center of Quirino Memorial Medical Center, where she undergoes regular physical therapy.

Happy Birthday M O M !!

Weekend in Bacolod

I can't believe that it has been almost two months since I last posted in this blog! I should have at least posted about my weekend in Tanza, a barrio near Bacolod City. I'm doing that now, and the only reason for the not-so-precise title of this post is to get attention since Bacolod is a well known city internationally, because of its Masskara festival held every 2nd week of October.

I had been requested to go to Cebu last month, so passing by a client in Iloilo who has written requests to visit them months ago was finally practical. A team mate with me who would be assigned in Iloilo for some time lives near Bacolod City so I requested to stay at their house for the weekend in between my Iloilo and Cebu trips. We rode a ferry boat from Iloilo to Bacolod, but since Bacolod was not in my official itinerary, I had to shoulder all my expenses in that trip.

My weekend in the house of my team mate was not an ordinary weekend because I had a personal objective unknown even to her. I wanted to know her condition in her own hometown because she will be 60 years old next year and may retire. I wanted to discourage her to retire but I would like to be sure if that will be the best advice I can give her. She has a nice house, but she expressed her desire to renovate her kitchen when she retires. Their barrio looks like a subdivision in Metro Manila. Her siblings and grandchildren by them live next to or near her house so she won't be lonely in case she decides to retire.

Though her hometown is an ideal place for retirement, I hope I can still work with her longer because so many clients expressed their need for her expertise.

I can't end this post without mentioning the sugarcane plantations all around their barrio because I was overwhelmed with the vast area of the plantations. The winds coming from the plantation was very refreshing!.

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