FDIP Toastmaster Club -- Member's Corner -- Featured Speech of the Week

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Featured Speech of the Week
This site area is created to give special publicity to our member who was voted as the Speaker of the Day. It is published here to highlight the key strong points of the speech in which the speaker was able to meet speech's objectives.

How It All Started
Marilyn Venzon
Date presented: April 19, 2002

Fellow Toastmasters, ATM Rene good afternoon. We all know that there are certain things which happened into our lives that are really beyond our control. And it is but natural that most of us have encountered some difficulties in life, heartaches, sorrows, pain and happiness. But have you ever been in the state of stygian? Which made you feel that . . . It's like the end of the world? What I will be sharing with you this afternoon is a brief information regarding my personal background and experiences with emphasis on my terrifying experience during the Mt. Pinatubo eruption which happened to be an instrument on how I got a job and became a Fluor Daniel member.

To begin with . . . Well, my parents have christened me as Marilyn Venzon. I am the eldest of their 7 children. I was born in Cavite but grew up in Subic. At an early age I learned to be independent because my parents were both working at Subic Naval base. I finished my primary and secondary course in Subic also. I took up Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at Adamson University Manila. But did you know that it is not my intended course? I'd like to take fine arts instead because my greatest dream was to become a famous painter. Unfortunately, my Dad has advised me to get another course. Because He told me that I would only have a hard time looking for a job related to that course. I did not insist because I thought that I could shift course anyway. I was supposed to shift when I was already in 3rd year College, but there was an Iranian professor who advised me also to finish my course. He told me that I might not finish anything if I would start a new course again, especially that I have already taken half of it. Maybe he's right that's why I followed his advise.

When I graduated, I felt that my parents obligation with me was through. That's why I already got hesitant to ask even a single amount from them. While I was looking for a job, I also started creating some stuff of my own design like hair accessories, bags, belts and handmade souvenirs. At first, It was just a hobby, but later on, It came out to be my source of income. I was only doing a direct selling at the start, until some of my friends and some of our neighbors have asked me that they want to sell my creations and earn from it also. It was a good feeling that I can help and earn as well. That's why I concentrated on producing more with the help of my sisters and some of our neighborhood housewives. Finally, I was able to introduce it to some boutiques and hotels in Subic. It really made good in the market because my designs were unique and a lot cheaper also. Besides, It was really of good quality. That's why looking for a job have suddenly slipped in my mind. Because I was already enjoying what I was doing. And what I like best is that. . . . I have my own time and myself as the boss.

But It eventually subside when that terrifying moment has come. As I have said earlier, Mt.Pinatubo eruption shocked not only me and my family but also the whole world. We really have experienced the total darkess and as if . . . It's the end of the world. There was the reddish lightning, an on and off earthquake, and the continuous raining of ashfalls. I was really crying because I heard that there was really no way out that time. And I was so scared that I thought . . . my family and I would be buried alive.

The first thing we did after that disaster was to walked barefooted about 5 km. from our house just to reach the church. Because we wanted to thank our Lord for He has given us the second chance to live. Maybe some of you would ask . . . why do we have to walk barefooted? It's because that the ashfalls that time were still soft and It would be harder to walk with footwear. Our town really looked like a dead city and as if we're back to ancient civilization. For 2 weeks time . . . We had no electricity, no transportation and even no nawasa water. Can you just imagine what we really suffered from? But we're still lucky because we had a deep well. We really had a diffuculty to cope up and start a new life again because my parents apartment collapsed. And that . . . They can not even get back to work at once. And I can not also continue what I have started because our town were still on the state of recovery.

After sometime I decided to look for a job. Although I do not know yet how I will apply because I felt that what I have learned and studied were almost gone. What I did is . . . I enrolled at STI Collge and I took up Basic Computer Programming, Database and Microsoft Office. And It help me gain a little bit of confidence. Then I was able to work for Flour Pacific various project like . . . the Enron-FluorDaniel project in Subic, Doupont Project in Bauan Batanggas and Hoechst Celenese project in Singapore. Finally I was able to work here at FluorDaniel as a Senior Designer for the Electrical Department. And I can say that working with FluorDaniel is really a fruitful one because each and every member has a room for improvement. But It is still in my plan to run a business of my own also because I know that we can not be an employee forever. That's why I believe that . . . We still need to have a fall back.

Fellow Toastmasters . . . Isn't it that there's a lot of obstacles that really come along our way to succeed? But are we going to get defeated? Galatians 6:9 says . . . Don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.

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