Who am I?
Can I conceal myself for evermore?
Pretend I’m not the man I was before?
And must my name until I die
Be no more than an alibi?
… …
From Les Miserables
… …
My life began with my name, Vida. It was a hybrid of my parents’ names: Vicente and Nida. Fortunately, it worked out. I could have had parents named Devon and Ravil. It would have been a miserable journey through life if my hybridized moniker were Devil.
So on my birth certificate, I became Vida.
But then, my parents wanted to add another name. My full name must have been too short for the Philippines, where one often had 5-6 names–often after patron saints. At first, they wanted to name me after their favorite singer, but they didn’t like Barbra. So, they settled for the second best chanteuse, in their opinion. Now and again, whenever people meet me, if I don’t hear the song from Sesame Street–”There’s a whole in the bucket, dear liza, dear liza….”—then I get, “You’re Liza, as in Minelli?”
My name is my first possession. It is the first hallmark of my identity. It is the reason I gave this wordpress spot my name: Liza Vida. After all, it is truly about my life: Liza’s Life.
To learn more about me, you would need to piece together the glimpses I offer of myself through my stories. In essence, I am my family, my passions (food, writing), my work and love.
very good, thought provoking introduction Li. I accidentally stumbled upon your blog and thoroughly enjoyed your amusing posts. have a good day,
abdul
Thanks so much!
I so enjoyed reading your blog! Yours has inspired me to capture those stories that jostle around inside my head, despite feeling too inadequate to encapsulate any of those memories, both real and imagined, into words.
PS,
I’ve never met another “Liza” before, let alone one who is also Filipino, and loves food and writing! Definitely experienced a “Twilight Zone” moment when I spied your blog on wordpress
Thank you LIZA! One of my best friends from elementary is also a LIZA who loves food and is a good writer.
Hi Liza, I just wanted to say that I’m an avid (AVID) fan of Les Miserables, and that is one of my favourite lines. :] All the best in picking up a new language, which I think is great. Keep writing! :]
Thank you! I first saw Les Miserables in NYC at age 13, then read the book at 16, hooked for life!
Vida = Bida (Filipino term for Winner)
cheers!
Hi Li
I stumbled upon your blog by accident. I ve enjoyed reading your blog which is very well written n amusing.
You ve inspired me to write my own blog – something that I hope to leave for my daughter, Hannah.
Keep up the good work! Hope to read more.
Have a Great Day!
Audrey
I’m glad that you liked it and that you will start your own blog. It’s a great legacy.
Hi, I stumbled by chance on your blog. I like your story about your name origin. very creative and glad it did work out for you!
Elisa
Indeed!! Phew….my parents chose well for my name
Hello, Ms. Vida.
I stumbled upon your blog while looking for information about Albanian-Filipinos; my current research project is about the relationship between the two countries. On a personal note, my husband is Hungarian and I am Filipino-American, so I can relate to your writing about food and family. I find myself nodding or laughing as I read through your blog posts.
If you have a moment, I’d like to speak with you about my research. Thank you for your consideration!
regards, DRH
Hello there:
First of all many thanks for your comments. I am happy to hear that you are writing about the relationship between the two countries. I guess my main question is why did you pick Albania instead of Hungary?
I would love to talk to you. Please send me an email address I can email you at. You’ve piqued my curiousity
Liza
Hi, nice to meet you !