according to John :- )

Wikipedia: I know everything!
Google: I have everything!
Facebook: I know everybody!
Internet: Without me, ya'll nothing.
Electricity: Keep talking b*tches!

:- )

the man that can't be moved

No. This is not about the song written by The Script. This is about the government executives that should have done something but did not and now is being vilified in all forms of press, the old school and the networked.

My heart cries out for my Filipino brothers and sisters who have suffered so much loss. So much loss that their intelligently designed bodies may switch itself to numbness soon. I can say that because that's what happened to me when my younger brother died more than eight years ago.

I pray for them.

Ormoc, though it is almost 20 years ago, is still vivid in my memory. The Cagayan de Oro images is eerily similar. As Randy David succinctly wrote, "Disasters in search of causes, victims in search of villains, and benevolence in search of recognition."

But though my reaction to Ormoc were limited to disgust and to finger-pointing, I have acquired curiousity this time and asks, "They know that this is bound to happen since 2003, why did they not move?"

The press will offer the sniding remark veiled in dry humour that the government executives must know first how much they can earn before they will move. Though that gets some smirks and whimpering 'applause', it is dangerous because it shows that our local press, knowingly or unknowingly, pre-conditions our minds to the limiting "let's move on" mentality when these government executives must be held accountable, jailed.

But before they can be held accountable, did these government executives truly believe that they have the power to solve it? Did they have the resources to truly tackle this situation?

Climate change is revealing its ugly head, the Brother Cain that was nourished by the Industrial Revolution and first version of Capitalism. Will we suffer the same fate like Abel?

I ask - do we have the right leadership and the apt government structure to deal with this new normal? Or are we stuck in so many oversight committees and ad-hoc teams that we are spread too thinly? So thin that we are as effective as not being there? That our presence only exists in reports and not on the ground?

And more importantly, do we already have enough 'long-view' citizenry that will elect 'long-view' leaders over the 'short-view' ones?

The technical experts showed us where the danger lurks. But since we are here in the Philippines, in a time it is learning to become a nation, logic and PhDs that are enough in highly matured societies and economies, will not cut it for us. The demand we hurl at our technical experts is that they must be able to acquire storytelling prowess equal to their technical know-how.

But even if that is solved, we still have 'short-view' government executives to contend with. An executive who only responds to how fat his pockets get. (Hmmmm, what if these government executives 'owns' construction companies? Do the pockets of these officials get fatter when the national government approves the 'now-obviously-needed' and media demanded infrastructure projects? Interesting.)

But somehow, we already have the structure, the Ombudsman in particular, to process those greedy ones. Strengthening these 'making them accountable' processes is what the current P-Noy Administration is nourishing with the impeachment of a Chief Justice as a sign.

But what if we have done and showed to the world that in the Philippines, the guilty, finally, is held accountable but still this 'educated' man in government excutive clothing still manages to stand still and do nothing in the face of what is now wrongfully described as "alarmist" report.

How can we explain that?

Is it simply for psychological reasons?

What if he did not move because he was simply scared. And he could not accept it that he bit more than he can chew now that he is elected leader and was shown these 'end-of-days' scenarios?

Maybe he dismissed it. Downplayed it. Now, we all suffer because nature made us accept the truth and because the government leader did not have the wits and the heart to move.

The hard part now comes. After acceptance, what do we do now?

Elect the same 'short-view' leaders? Still think that being a leader is simply about power and doors opening? All perks and no sweat? A man that can't be moved? :- )

"... why think like mere men?"

+ three months

It has been three months since I landed from Tokyo. From that immersion, recently but limitly called ISO14051, that changes mindset... the next steps.

I got the tools and methodology pat down. I am in the process of developing materials that I hope to be of used and of value to the planned learning sessions that will happen in 2012 in various plants and corporate offices in the Philippines.

There's so much to share. My heart still spills grateful tears everytime I have this moment to reflect on. My mind is still wandering why me?

But this 'unplanned' immersion happened. Now what?

What do I do with something I have been given for free? A free thing that speaks to me and makes me feel alive?

I truly feel responsible.

My being tells me to freely share it. But I cannot just share it without contextualizing it to apppropriately fill the Filipino psyche and respecting its strengths, its limitations and its bent. If I am to simply repeat the presentation given out by the sensei, I will flat-out and simply do a disservice.

My challenge, I realize after the trip, as a learning facilitator, encapsulated in the title called "Professor", in the Philippines is to aggregate knowledge and distill it to the essential that speaks to a Filipino mind and moves his heart.

Express the 'music' you hear in your heart and feel in your mind! Get out of the boat, into the water and walk :- )

The self-talk that's getting so much airplay now in my head.

How can I stop it now that my beloved Philippines is in the news again because of what happened in Cagayan de Oro. Reminds me of what happened in Ormoc, Leyte almost 20 years ago - dead bodies, mud, and logs floating around.

Lord, I am small and the whole world is big... but I have You :- )

One of the takeaway I have from my Tokyo trip is I finally saw what happens when everyone is brave and expresses their hopes and dreams to the world and not limit it to dim lights, alcohol-altered talk and opinionated blogs :- )

"... why think like mere men?"

a blessed generation

I mean that. Seriously. Truthfully.

I was born 25 September 1974. I was in my tweens when EDSA 1 happened.

And when I graduated from college, the Philippines was considered, globally, as a tiger cub in the mid-1990s due to President Ramos. Fifteen years remove from EDSA 1, the first impeachment, I think :- ), in the Philippine history happened. But prior to that, the Internet bubble burst.

I had a better grasp of what these events meant for I was finishing my graduate studies around this time. Specifically, I was writing my Strategic Management paper :- )

Besides that, I was in EDSA this time.

And during the first decade of the new millennium - my business-mind and 'chops' were honed by stewarding a boutique talent agency in the scandal-laden GMA presidency. The year 2001-2010 is the best time to learn, hands-on, what it means to run a business in precarious times.

On top of that, the industry I belonged to was hit by two powerful driving forces. One, a fundamental change. From an analog form of advertising to a digital, networked and dynamic one. Second, the fluctuating economy highlighted by the 2008 global financial meltdown. The advertising industry and the number of projects and the type of projects it cranks out, you see, is a leading indicator of the collective read of business minds.

It was also around this time, I intellectually plunged into the world of Kaizen, of Total Quality Management, of Lean Thinking, of Just-in-time, of Six Sigma and of Theory of Constraints among others.

And then Manny Pacquiao gave a jolt to Pinoy pride :- )

And now, I am offered another treat, a second impeachment. This time against Chief Justice Corona.

It is perfectly understandable to be wary of what's happening. But to be worried is really not the best thing to do right now. A crisis, as US President Obama suggested, is too valuable a thing to be wasted with worries.

These times and the unfolding events are the best times to learn what it means to give birth to a new Philippines. We are, currently, developing our own version of democracy.

Though it is easy to conclude that the spokesperson and the lawyers are making use of their 15 minutes of fame, I am thankful that the media is showing me, in dramatic details, how the government works. The powers of the Executive branch, of the Legislative and of the Judiciary and how it is related to each other to ensure a check and balance in the system.

I take this intelligently edited presentation over a classroom discussion :- )

And another thing, these events are highlighting, again, the brilliance of those people who wrote the 1987 Constitution. It's nice to be reminded that they, who came before me, were not asleep. I hope that when the generation after me comes, my generation will be judged the same way as I do for those who came before me :- )

Hmmm, I wonder now what kind of a President would a person of my age be when the time comes?

Being an optimist, that President, I think would be something else. For sure. For he saw, experienced and participated in a lot of transformation. From a dictatorship to a democracy. From an analog to digital technology. From a round world to a flat one :- )

A blessed generation indeed.

I am blessed and I am privileged that I am a Filipino at these times :- )

"... why think like mere men?"

my first Christmas "gift"

I have to write about this 'gift' I received.

But when it was given to me, I was panting and glad to know I was alive :- )

You see, I dreamed that I was dead.

There's no funeral. No lines. No longing faces. No wailing. No tears. I was just in a box and I was seeing it from a point of view of someone playing an RPG game. It's like I was on the bed and looking at the ceiling. But I was dead :- )

I wasn't afraid.

I just felt sorry to leave my beautiful wife, Beb. But later on, the feeling evolved to an understanding of and a realization of - I should have dared more. I should have pushed more. I should have ran after my dreams harder and tried to make it into a reality.

I was sad that I did not and that I can not do anything about it now that I am 'dead'. And when I was about to cry - I woke up.

I now grasped that it is really better to have honestly tried, had the chance of succeeding but landed and felt the sting and the punch of a 'failed attempt' rather than no attempt at all.

I get that now. 'First hand' :- )

And I am thankful, Lord. I am. Accept my tears and the emotions that goes with it. Emotions that I can not even begin to describe. But You know them, Lord.

I am thankful. Grateful.

Signed,
Elisier "Lion of Judah"

"... why think like mere men!"

coming to an end and approaching a new beginning

Our academic term is about to end. Next week, finals. And the students have started with their half-hearted "...Merry Christmas, Sir!" greetings :- )

They don't mean that. What they are actually suggesting is that they be given a passing grade because it's Christmas.

Ah, the feeling of entitlement. Sad. Really. It is.

From my observation "'Merry Christmas!' greeting students" can be segmented to "I was handled with baby gloves until now", the "'Friends with Benefits' professor friends ", the "Senior Citizens", the "Dazed and Confused lot" and the "True Blue".

Sometimes a student can be in cross section of two or more segments like someone who buys siomai in Siomai House and also buys it in Gloria Maris. The former, being part of the pedestrian segment while the later as part of a more'motivated' segment. Though the siomai eater is only one, he belongs to two segments :- )

But the usefulness of the siomai correlation ends there.

Though I appreciate the inventiveness and the 'flexibility' of students in building and acquiring street smarts to get that elusive 'Pass', I hope they also appreciate that there are certain and non-negotiable things in this world.

I mean, would they entrust their health or there parent's health and be treated by a doctor who got his license because he was only a friend of all his med-proper professors?

Would you? No!

Would they allow themselves to be opened up by ObGyn who got her license because the Medical Board together with the regulatory body saw that she was already an overstaying med-student?

Would you? No!

There is a reason for the 'pass' and the 'not yet'. There is a reason why engineering is demanding, hard and difficult.

If we do not understand that, then, we now know why we are where we are.

Maybe we should try to become somebody else other being an engineer even if we are already in our mid-20s and still in college. Because it is sad, and it honestly sucks, to be a 2nd-rate version of ourselves.

Or maybe it's time to rest and to reflect.

Listen. Be still and ...

"... why think like mere men."

mash-ups :- )

I have always kept, at least, three 'hats' within arm's reach.

The first 'hat' is being a TQM/ Kaizen/ Lean Six Sigma guy for, at least, a decade now. I have done projects implementing these methodologies and tools. The second 'hat' is being a paid actor. I have done professional theater, and still from time to time, TV ads. And the third 'hat' is being a learning facilitator and talent developer. I am a professor at an engineering school, during TThS, facilitating engineering courses and at the same time, during MWF, a steward of a talent and casting agency.

From experience, these 'hats' have harmoniously co-existed. In fact, they have complemented one another for it has a common denominator - a person. This person could be a client. In other days, an audience or a caster. In other days, a student. And in other days, a talent.

All want the same thing - another person who can assist them face the challenge or task at hand.

This morning, the three got mash-up :- )

Thanks to Sir Ken Robinson.

Zen espouses that perfection happens when there is nothing to take out. In lean thinking, its application is in the precept that one does not do anything that is unnecessary so that effort can be placed on necessary things.

Transporting this to a classroom or in a learning situation - all that is necessary is really a professor and a student. And progression happens when that give and take learning relationship between a teacher and a student is developed.

And this development happens when the learning facilitator, the actor, can make the student, the audience, identify with him :- )

A glorious mash-up!

"... why think like mere men?"

lantern wisdom

"...I'm a Green Lantern. I fear nothing. Fear is the enemy of will. Will is what makes you take action. Fear is what stops you and makes you weak. You must ignore your fear. When you're afraid you can't act. You can't act, you can't defend. You don't defend, you die!"

a shakespeare mash

"To be or not to be is not the question but the answer!"

:- )

Personally, a timely reminder :- )

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power."

Alan Cohen

forming the Philippine nation

Being a 'tween' during the first EDSA prepared me to appreciate what's happening in the current media-presented political life of the Philippines.

I still remember my Araling Panglipunan teachers, Mr. Jordan and Ms. Beldas, asking us for news cut outs as assignment for our Current Events topic starting with THE snap elections up to that eventful day one February 25. And being part of the Special Education program of the government then, as one of the students in the acceleration class, the discussion is, let's just say - impassioned :- )

A danger with this ability to appreciate is that you will catch yourself being pushed to lean and to get comfortable with an emotion designed to be felt only for a short while - anger. And when the anger is stoked and one will conclude that things are moving slowly and anger becomes jaded. Numb. Detachment happens next.

I caught myself running up that ladder of inference yesterday and I awoke from the song of the mermaids :- )

There must be a better way of using time other than following angry old men :- )

But if there's a take away from the experience is this - I now see how men build a democratic nation.

Yes, the Philippines is espousing democratic values but we are still building the Philippine nation to become a democratic country. A country for the people, of the people and by the people.

If it is true, what the social scientists say, that it takes 40 years to build a nation then we are still half way there. Let's talk about what the Philippines is by 2026 and not be swept way by the rhetoric of lawyers who currently hogs the limelight. Because it seems that these lawyers are making most of their 15 minutes of fame so that the next client will pay them more :- )

"...why think like mere men?"

the new meaning of "5"

In the school where I teach, Mapua Institute of Technology, a grade of "5" means that the student failed to make the cut.

A failure.

I absolutely agree with putting meanings in one's experience. But my beef with the "5" is that almost all students wrongly associate this mark to themselves and not to the true culprit.

Let me be clear about this, if you happen to be a current student - failure is an event and never a person.

Ok?

Peace? :)

Now, I wrote about Khan Academy in the past. This is a website that shows mini-lectures on science, mathematics and economics to name a few. For someone in the Philippines, I use the site to complement the learning sessions I facilitate in the four corners of my classroom at Intramuros, Manila.

In one of the talks that Mr Khan gave, he was surprise to see data that supports a narrative that after having a hard time in a particular subject, students' learning curve always accelerates once the 'hump' was mastered. In the context of a school that espouses 10-week academic terms, this 'hump' could be seen in the transcript of records of students where a course was repeated more than twice.

But because of the foreboding and mistaken meaning students associate with a "5", the drive of the students to honestly go over the 'hump' fizzles and students more often than not, chooses to go over the 'hump' through the less than respectable ways of cheating, of OTs, of appeasing their professors and all other means necessary.

Though that may sound creative, innovative and noble, if you put in the hardworking parent angle. But in reality it is sad and not right. The student miss out on the acceleration of their learning curves when one honestly conquers the 'hump'.

And most student never experience this acceleration, this character-building, which is by the way, what they truly paid for in school, because to them a "5" means that they failed.

So, let's put an end to this limited meaning of a "5", strengthen the sensitive and fickle self-worth of students so that it will not be abused by wolves hiding in professors clothes and update what "5" truly means base from the findings of the Khan Academy experience.

From now on, a "5" means "Not yet. Maybe next term."

"... why think like mere men?"

dumb :)

Overheard, "It is better to ask a dumb question rather than making a dumb mistake!"

warning about doubt

"He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure. Doubt has killed more splendid projects, shattered more ambitious schemes, strangled more effective geniuses, neutralized more superb efforts, blasted more fine intellects, thwarted more splendid ambitions than any other enemy of the human race."

James Allen, 1864-1912 British Author, Poet and Philosopher

Oh, September :)

I was born 25 September 1974. My wife, 17 September. We got married, 10 September 2010. And to some degree, my mind wander off to Christmas every time September arrives. Maybe it is because it is the first month that ends in "ber". September has a special pull in my heart.

This year, aside from celebrating our 1st year anniversary, a heavenly gift arrived.

You see, during the start of the year, I was asked to design and develop a learning session about Quality Management System, QMS. Being a seasoned TQM and Kaizen practitioner, this was up in my alley. So I went right to it with gusto and with an excitement only a little boy would know :)

I challenged myself to re-imagine QMS with the objective that it has to be presented in a way that will be fresh.

That journey led me to various body of knowledge that includes neurology and cognition. It also led me to the history of Japan as far back as Musashi Miyamoto :)

The QMS content is structurally done. It can be ran tomorrow if need be. But I still consider it a work in progress not because it was rushed to conclusion. Its just that I adhere to the thinking that one can never really arrive at things. One can only improve.

So, the QMS learning session is in its ver 1.0 state :)

But that's not the point why I am writing. The point is that that QMS learning session is yet to happen. For some strange and mysterious reason, the class was scheduled and duly advertised but it never had enough students to financially justify staging it.

So, it is what it is. I was a bit sad for awhile because I did spend serious time developing it and to see it still 'wrapped' is a downer so to speak.

But the days rolled on and the demands of life made the QMS debacle to be placed at the back burner until the Workshop on Material Flow Cost Accounting, ISO 14051, came and everything was 'right' again :)

This ISO 14051 workshop was to be held in Tokyo and in Osaka, Japan. To be facilitated by Japanese experts based from their decade long experience of implementing it in various manufacturing plants across industries in Japan.

And when I received, early September, that I was chosen to be one of the 18 'students' across Asia, everything came back and I understood why I need to brush up on my QMS literature earlier this year.

He wanted me to be prepared for something BIG :)

I was 'first in line' when the MFCA knowledge was being given to us. I ate a lot of it. I am full. Now, I need an expression for it and I can not stop thinking how to spread the word about ISO 14051.

I am humbled. I am thankful that He is getting bigger in my life as I am getting older.

Ano kaya ang ipapadala Niya sa amin next September? :)

"... why think like mere men?"

sign of our times :)

I stumbled upon this, "Google before you Tweet is the new think before you speak" :)

the former revisted :)

Moving forward, one will realize that there's really no East and West. That that logic bubble, that mindset and that worldview belongs to the less aware. That what truly will stand is the one that understand the symbiotic relationship of building and of consuming... of planting and of harvesting... of... :)

"...why think like mere men?"

a "writer's" block :)

Ten years ago, I was in a writing class. Our facilitator was a known, respected and seasoned journalist.

And during the 'Q&A', I asked, "How do you break your writer's block?"

He smiled and said, "I can not afford one or my family does not eat."

I'm glad I facilitate learning to put food on the table for I've been agonizing what to write for the past week.

And all of sudden, clarity is spelled - builders, takers and consumers :)

I follow and think about what's happening in the largest economy in the world, the US and the Wall Street strike (?), and I wonder why HBO have ramped up broadcasting Michael Moore's film, Capitalism: A love story? I think I saw it for the third time this morning :)

I follow and think about the death of Steve Jobs, his memorial and the autobiography that came up this morning and I wonder will America ever produce someone like him again?

I follow and think about what's happening in the Middle East, the Arab spring, as the journalists' (or politicians') have called it and I wonder why now? What happened? It seems that the lines that were written some 40 years ago is being redrawn right at this very minute. It does not help that one of the heirs to the throne of Saudi Arabia succumbed to cancer.

I follow and think about Japan's effort to entice tourist to come and visit by promising 10,000 paid round-trip ticket and I wonder what stories will the visitors tell after their trip?

I follow and think about the flood in Bangkok and I wonder, how will that affect the price of rice, the Filipino staple, next year? Will it drive inflation beyond the 2012 target?

And then, the news from our very own place. News about bribing. Buying an election. Filipino soldiers dying and teenagers shooting each other at the mall and I wonder when will the media start to report on happier things other than the boxing exploits of Manny Pacquiao?

And then after all this wondering, I realize all I did was to take and consume time. Did I build anything while I was taking and consuming? No :)

And then I realize that the reason why the US is in funk is because the builders are dying, aka Steve Jobs, and the ever increasing takers and consumers have 'obliterated' the fruits of the builders that came before them.

That somehow, the spirit of building has left the West, this includes Europe and the EU, and is now comfortably nesting in the East, the Middle and the Far :)

Though Japan is economically in a funk, I doubt if they will ever stop building. I don't think they will ever stop. I can confidently say that now after being among them even if it was for only seven eventful days. Because the lesson of building and of progressing is trumpeted all over the place :)

Which bring me back to us. Are we building or are we taking and consuming? Or should I say, am I building or simply taking and consuming right now?

Which suddenly brings me to this 'out-of-nowhere' question - how can one build an urban transportation in Metro Manila when all the 'masterpiece' benchmark of urban mass transportation of the world assumes that the consumer follow the schedule of mass transit? A fact that runs contrary to the Filipino 'mass' transportation experience for in the Philippines, the transportation system is the one that serves the heterogeneous demands of the masses that's on, sadly, Filipino time, which explains the proliferation of tricycles and sidecars and the under utilized jeeps and FXs :)

If the transportation system is geared towards the customized needs, should it still be called mass transportation?

Where shall we find the solution to this? The West? A West that has stopped to build?

Or should we look to ourselves and find the solution here?

I realize that it is good to be stuck. Because it is only when one is stuck that one asks the really important and life-altering questions :)

Am I still consuming or building now?

:- )

"... why think like mere men?"

how to?

How to set up a school, not only the physical building but the 'whole' thing, that's streams-flows-presents a coherent and understandable whole for the young minds to digest?

Is this even in the drawing board when we are developing a school of 2020? How about the school of 2050?

on issues and solutions

When we think about it, the issues that we face are really not different from the past. But the solutions can be :)

"... why think like mere men?"

A part of my Trip Report about the Workshop on Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) that will be submitted to Development Academy of the Philippines :)

...As to the knowledge and benefits I have received, I undeservedly received much and many. And three things really stood out from the rest.

The first was not even in the actual workshop but in all the traveling we did. In my calculation, we spent close to half of the time traveling. I saw and experienced Tokyo’s and Osaka’s transport infrastructure.

If one is to compare their infrastructure to that of Manila's, it is perfectly understandable to feel bad. The trains and buses were always on time. If Tokyo’s and Osaka’s is a masterpiece, Manila will be close to a blank canvass. But if one is to look at this truth from a different perspective, being a blank canvass means we are simply starting. And all the possibilities and better things is still ahead of us. And what makes this even more exciting is we now have many inspirations to draw from.

The second take-away from my seven days and six nights in Tokyo and Osaka happened during the Monday morning session with Furukawa-san.

I shared with the class during our Q&A portion that it was nice to hear the MFCA’s success story in Nitto Denko. But I was wondering and curious about the problems they faced early on, over a decade ago, as they started to implement MFCA. They were the first one to implement MFCA in Japan. They definitely met problems, new problems. I thought it was of value if I knew beforehand what they were so that I can watch out for them and be ready for them as I implement MFCA back in the Philippines.

I was pleasantly surprise with the very generous answer Furukawa-san gave. Instead of a problem list, he gave me a prescription on a better way to start.

And the third pearl I receive is to not let the fear of the unknown and of new problems stop us in trying and in solving them. For if the problem is of true significance and of importance, the wisdom one generates or acquires in the process of solving and in finally solving the problem gives one a valuable trait over those who are simply comfortable with being users of the proven solution. I think this is the spirit and the reason why the current acknowledged and highly regarded MFCA experts are Japanese. This spirit made our hosts - sensei.

And to honor the generosity I received from APO, JPC and DAP - when I see a problem, either new or old, I will be thankful for it then smile more broadly and then start solving it until it is done.

"...why think like mere men?"

fear and learning

We avoid the things that we're afraid of because we think there will be dire consequences if we confront them. But the truly dire consequences in our lives come from avoiding things that we need to learn about or discover.

~Shakti Gawain

"why think like mere men?"

leaving

Steve Jobs has left the building :- (

leading by fear

We can only give what we received :-)

the advocate

After the mindset altering trip to Tokyo and Osaka last week, I was welcomed with the Finals week in my university.

I hit Monday running for all my final examinations were scheduled last Tuesday. Well, what better time to put into practice what I've observed in the land of the rising sun - move. Now.

After the rush last Tuesday, I am now on the final legs of computing grades. I facilitated learning for 5 classes and I am done with grade computation for 4 of them.

And then, the advocate came. Texted.

To the students who use brokers/agents to turn failing grades to passing grades, let me be clear on this, do not even try. It will not work. Not because I do not respect the advocates you use but because your future is more important than the relationship I have with your advocate.

And let me clear about this too, because I do not know what your advocate told you on what transpired between your advocate and me, so I will tell you here. You deserve to know the truth.

Your advocate texted me last night if I can lower my passing grade to suit you because you apparently failed two courses already and you might be kicked out of the university.

To that I replied, "...then maybe, this student needs to have this experience this early in this person's life. A situation where a rethinking on how this person is handling life. This is important to any human being. The student was given all the chances. I returned all the quizzes on time. The students knew where they stood in my class every time. (Your advocate's name), you have my respects."

That was the conversation I had with your advocate. If your advocate told anything less or more, then your advocate lies to you.

That's the problem with using advocates, not unless someone tells you, you really do not know what really transpired :)

Dear Student, have you truly given up on life that you truly accept that you will always need other people to do the significant life battles for you?

Will you be forever dependent on other people? Do you like to be in this situation? Forever? Do you enjoy being a 'slave' to the whims of your advocate?

If you're using money now to buy, not earn, your diploma, save it. The Mapua diploma does not mean anything without self-respect. Without the truth that you earned it.

How will you compete, in the future, with the Japanese, Indians, Chinese, Taiwanese, Koreans, Singaporeans, Thais, Malaysians, Indonesians, Mongolians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans and Vietnamese who earned their diploma when you know in your heart of hearts that yours is actually fake?

How can you compete with that?

My dear student, use this time to think. To pause. To reflect. Your life is still ahead of you. And even if you're in this situation, know that your future is still bright. Do not fall into temptation that you need to barter, exchange or even throw away your self-respect for a fake passing grade.

Believe me, your future is still bright. And it is brighter if you have your self-respect intact.

"Why think like mere men?"

a reflection on Tokyo and Osaka

Same time last week, I sat at the conference room of Asian Productivity Office (APO) in Tokyo. I was one of the two who were chosen by APO to represent the Philippines as a learner on a soon-to-be-called ISO 14051. Currently, ISO 14051 resides in a name called Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) in academic journals and research papers.

I listened to what the experts said. But above all, I watched and observed.

I was in Tokyo and Osaka for six (6) nights and seven (7) days. Half of the time I was seated in a conference room. The other half, I was riding. It was a choice among a chartered bus, an express train or a bullet train. All of these mode of transportation comes and leaves on time. Every time. When the ticket says the train arrives at 13:46, it arrives at 13:46. Not a minute early. Not a minute late.

Just in time.

Though it can be intellectually appreciated how nice if things are like that here in the Philippines, one has to see and be immersed in an environment to see the power of what happens when things are on time.

I wonder how did they do this. Was it because they made good use of the Marshall Plan after World War II? Or was it the spirit behind the surrender of Japan at the end of WW II of not seeing it as an end of Japan but a beginning of a new Japan?

It is easy to compare our infrastructure with theirs. And, I think, it is perfectly understandable to feel a bit bad about the state of our public infrastructure when one experiences theirs.

Ours is so bad that if theirs is a masterpiece, ours will be a blank canvas.

And that for me is good! For now we can use theirs as an inspiration to draw ours :)

Regarding MFCA, my mind is still a buzz. Excited. Swirling. I need more time to express that one :)

"... why think like mere men?"

the end that also begins

The workshop has ended. The presentation prepared and delivered. The examination taken and passed. The certificates given and received. It is the end.

And a new day begins.

I sat in the conference rooms. I listened to the Japanese-English of a number of sensei. I wrote notes. I dictated in recorder. I took photos. I walked. I observed. I embraced. I allow myself to be immersed. Changed. Be better.

But most all, I rode. Buses and trains that always come on time. Every time.

If there's one clear take-way, a nugget of wisdom that's implemented in my heart. It is this - move. Do. And then, reflect. Then, do. Move. Reflect. Japan made sure that they move efficiently, precisely and on-time.

Japan is the only place where a pedestrian crossing is considered a tourist attraction. And that says a lot. They move. They keep on moving. Improving. Until perfection happens. But they know it will not happen. But still, they move. They improve.

Lord, thank You for letting me understand, "The faith that moves forward is rewarded!"

Coming here to temporarily live with the constantly moving and astonishing Japanese people, You prepared me. First, on faith. And now, for the past days - the importance of moving forward.

I am humbled, Lord. Thankful. Grateful. Tearfully joyful. You are great!

I pray for safe journey towards my home, the Philippines. To the arms of my beautiful and waiting wife, Beb.

Thank You for keeping us safe.

I lift up to You what it is that You have given me. Pangunahan Ninyo po ako. Make my footsteps firm. The world is so big. I am so small. But I have You! :)

"... why think like mere men!"

wisdom from Japan

The final result is not a calculation but improvement!

the old man at the airport

I landed today in the country of the Rising Sun. I got my Japanese welcome when the plane arrived 30 minutes early :)

Our host sent us a notice that somebody will meet us at the airport to help us get into the train from Narita to Shibuya, Tokyo. I did not get his name. Aside from the broken English he had, he was a reminder, a switch, a jolt or a mentally shift that I am in Japan already.

You see, from where I come from, you bring everything with you. You don't leave your things. Most specially to strangers. But from the expression of his face, he looked offended when I initially decline his offer to leave my bags with him as I change my dollars to local currency. He insisted. That's when I knew that I was simply carrying a way of thinking, I thought was universally natural, in response to what is not right.

"... why think like mere men?"

hinilawuod

My roots are from Iloilo. Miag-ao, Indag-an to be exact. The typical Ilonggo speaks a dialect called Hilagay-non which is is commonly called now, by the Tagalog, as Ilonggo. But my forefathers speak something else, a sub-dialect of this Hilagay-non. It is called Kiniray-a.

Growing up, I've heard Nanay, Tatay, Lula and my Manangs speak this language at home. So it was a bit unnerving when I heard this language spoken at the start of a theatrical play at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. A play based on, what others may consider as, the longest epic of the world - Hinilawuod.

To put this into context. The Bible has around 22,000 lines. The great Greek tragedy of Odyssey has around 15,000 lines. Hinilawuod has something close 28,000 lines. And the reason this is only entering our consciousness now is because this epic is only sung until recently. Which suggests that our forefathers can sing from memory 28,000 lines of lyrics.

And 'they' had the audacity to call us 'indios'. Colonial Spain's pride and vanity has made their wisdom dull. Funny :)

We really need to think this one out. The limitations of colonialism were reached when the world ushered in democracy and its sister named capitalism. Now, we are at a time when we are now reaching the limits of capitalism and we, as a race, is still struggling to unshackle the yoke of colonialism.

Maybe, as we move forward, it is of worth to look back on who we are as a race before the colonials came.

As I sat their, watching and listening, the play made me teary eye. And when the cast sang "Bayan ko", the tears ran down my cheeks.

The tears fell down because we have done a very bad job, so far, in taking care of ourselves. As a Filipino who traces his ancestry to Miag-ao, Indag-an, I never knew the treasure that Hinilawuod is as I was growing up. The tears fell down for the Filipino educators have done a very bad job in instilling love to the young that wherever they are from, the bundoks or somewhere else, they should be proud of themselves and of their culture and dialect. The tears fell down because the prevailing local media, networks and advertisers, have done a very bad job in molding the mind of a brown boy that he should be proud of his skin.

We have done a bad job. And knowing that we have is the start of good.

Lord, thank You po!

"... why think like mere men!"

an introduction to Atenean education

My wife is earning her second degree at Ateneo. To her, Ateneo is not a school per se. It is a community.

I have heard of schools described as a community, for one I teach at a university who recently got its international accreditation, but from how she describes it, I have a sense it is entirely different. Deeper.

This affect or immersion of sorts has transformed her, among others, to become a die-hard Blue Eagles. It helps, of course, that the current team is 10-0 and is going for a 4th-peat :)

I had a 1st hand glimpse of what I think she meant when I attended the 12th Korean Forum organized by Ateneo Center for Asian Studies last 26 August.

I have been to Ateneo for quite a number of times already but I guess last Friday was the first one I was truly there as a student.

The sessions gave the participants a rundown of Asian Geo-politics from a Korean perspective. And personally, some sessions reminded me why I was drawn to Economics.

Things got more than interesting during the Q&A when a paper was presented on the rise of China and what it meant for Korea and for the region. To hear a lady from the Embassy of China to reiterate their stand, when things needed to be reiterated was a moment I realized I wasn't simply attending a forum. Ateneo, at that instant, became a door, a window or a platform for me to see, anew, beyond the shores of the Philippines.

I wasn't simply a Filipino at that time. I was Asian. And the forum became a way, another push to get to an optimal point when the efficacy of mathematics reached its limitation.

Peace and stability is the environment where economic growth happens. And that end state usually begins with talking :)

"... why think like mere men?"

stumble inspiration :)

I'm not telling you it will be easy. What I am telling you is that it will be worth it!

You are who you are when no one is looking.

Love me when I least deserve it because that's when I really need it.
~ Swedish Proverb

Light travel faster than sound. This explains why some people appear to be smart until they speak :)

If we all don't have money, we will all be rich?

receiving and giving

"If you do not have PhP 1,000, can you give PhP 1,000?", was the question my serious-toned boss asked me.

If this was your usual vanilla boss, I would think he has lost his mind. But this former boss of mine is different.

So, a deadpan, "No, Sir.", was my reply.

"If that's the case, how can you give PhP 1,000 if you do not have it?"

"It's impossible, Sir."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Then, what is necessary before you can give PhP 1,000?"

"One must work for it, Sir. And earn it. Or, he simply receives a PhP 1,000 bill as a gift."

"Right. So, will the logic still stand if we replace the PhP 1,000 bill with wisdom?"

I was silent and then thankful.

"Why think like mere men?"

tiwala

I've been receiving text messages for over a year now, from unknown sources, offering very low interest loans. This has no significance whatsoever until one compares those numbers to what the credit card charges. The 'texted' loans win hands down. One will be crazy not to take advantage.

But I have not :)

The numbers say that it will 'save' money but the question I ask is what kind of complexity do I get myself in if I bite?

At least with the credit cards, you know how the system works. The 'texted' one, well, too good to be true. It is like a choice between the devil you know and the devil that you don't know. The devil you know wins :)

But why is that I have that logic bubble in my head?

I understand that the current local financial wind is strongly suggesting to the Filipinos to spend. Just look at how little interest one gets from savings and time deposits that one will understand that the government does not want our money in savings account but out there flowing. They want us to spend. To invest. To risk :)

But how come even with the numbers that nudges me to risk, all it does is to make me even ask more questions?

The feeling I have is that I am being set up to fail?

But why do I have that thought pattern? Why do I have that as a bias? Is that the past talking to me? Limiting how and what I see in our present circumstances?

So, I count my successes and my setbacks. Thank God, the former outnumbers the later. So, if this is not my experience talking to me - who is it?

It got me thinking, how can this quasi-financial companies offer low-interest loans. Is it because they also borrowed money from financial institution who offer even much lower interest? :)

Is it possible that these 'entrepreneurs' once worked for a credit card company, understands how that business works, saw an 'opportunity' when he connected the dots of 'existence of cheap money flooding the market', 'the credit card company shared databases', 'the non-existence of a clear legislation on how collecting companies should behave' and 'the Asian's face-saving mentality', thus let's offer a financial instrument that 'seemingly' mitigates the effects and the burdens of owning a credit card?

I wonder if these are the same people who aggressively and liberally offered credit cards to anyone at the malls?

I wonder if they are also the same people who set up shop to go after their 'once a sought after customer turned into delinquent payer'? Now, that's funny :) Talk about vertical integration :)

But still.

Even with cheap money flooding the market - why can't I simply risk?

Is it because it is risk? And how risk was presented to me that I will always choose certainty even if that certainty is tired and in staying in the winter of our discontent?

Why do I struggle with risking? Why do we struggle, as Filipinos, with the concept of risk? Is it because, even with their good intentions, financial planners has still a lot of ways to go in educating Filpinos about personal financial planning? Should we legislate that so that it becomes part of tertiary or technical-vocational curricula? Are we putting insurance companies out of business if we do that or are we making their sales pitch for them? :)

Or is it, at the heart of the matter a manifestation na hindi talaga tayo nagtitiwala sa ating mga modernong institusyon na gagawin nila ang tama at dapat? Na gagawin nila ang bagay na makakatulong sa Filipino? Sa ikauunlad ng bayan?

Can you imagine how will the Philippines look if we have earned the trust of one another? And that we trust one another to a point that you can use your iPhone or your Samsung Galaxy in saving you a seat kila Manang sa kanto?

The speed of trust... the beauty of trust.

"Why think like mere men?"

on past experiences

"Though we can't always see it at the time,
if we look upon events with some perspective,
we see things always happen for our best interests.
We are always being guided in a way
better than we know ourselves."

Swami Satchidananda

silence and solitude

"Without silence and solitude, we become shallow."

on decisions

"We make decisions and then the decisions make us..."

on difference

"To make a difference in this world, one has to be different." :)
~ Coach NT

on value of time 2.0

A truth emerged. Finally. Thankfully.

:)

The time of frustration... the time spent waiting for 'it' to happen... to arrive... the time spent on questioning... on being lost... is time to know our heart. Our true desires. Our true dreams. The ones that we can not speak of. The ones that no words can describe. Much more, communicate. The ones that we don't even understand. The ones that we do not even know reside in our hearts.

These times are times to know the very design of the Potter... of how the Blacksmith shaped us in His furnace :)

I am thankful for now I have a reply to Your question - "What would you have Me do?"

"... why think like mere men?"

on value of time

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade.
To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a pre-mature baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident.
To realize the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.

on art

Art is not what you see but what you make others see.
~Edgar Degas

a wise woman's 'precious stone'

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

'I've been thinking,' he said, 'I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.

~from an unknown but highly appreciated source :)

stateside

Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.

~U.S. President Barack Obama

memo to MEMO :)

The Best Student Organization :)

The miracle of hard work... of not giving up... though we all know we could have done better... it is wonderful to be acknowledged... suddenly, the big shoes got one size bigger... but I am confident MEMO will only get better... for the present have a past to be proud of :)

Let's continue to build... to get better.

To those who have been part of the journey who are no longer or has taken a leave from Mapua, your presence, no matter how insignificant you think it was, was a part... a step... a contribution to what was acknowledged this afternoon :)

I am proud of all of you.

Now, let's continue to plug along. Who knows, we might make a yearly habit of this "acknowledgement" thing :)

Game?

"... why think like mere men?"

a glib on fear :)

"All fears are unreasonable. Don't reason with it..."

difficulty's reason

"All things are difficult before they get easy..."
~ Dr. Thomas Fuller

beauty's intent

Beauty's effect is not limited to inspiration. It is more than that. It points us towards eternity. It is a reminder, a glimpse of a certainty of what shall we become :)

the miseducation of lauryn hill

How will you win when you are not right from within?
How will you win when you are not right from within?

being a legend

It happens when your first name is accepted around the world as an adjective :)

on invented and innovation

Senge says,

Engineers say that a new idea has been "invented" when it is proven to work in the laboratory. The idea becomes an "innovation" only when it can replicated reliably on a meaningful scale at practical costs.

from Ms Zara :)

Ang mga BABAE parang si BARBIE. Pwede mong paglaruan, hubaran, at kung nagsawa kana pwede mong ipamigay. Pero tandaan: ANG TUNAY NA LALAKE, HINDI NAGLALARO NG BARBIE. :D

the itch :)

I am actually 'uniquely' excited to facilitate a learning session this coming term and I do not know why. I am up and it's 12:58am says the PC clock.

Maybe I finally understand what it means to facilitate :-)

Or maybe, if we are to believe Malcolm Gladwell who wrote Outliers, the 10,000 hours effect is already manifesting.

But what does it mean for the students?

They may had professors who were still in their 5,000th hour. Maybe some were in their 30,000th hour that they can perform a lecture asleep :-)

Well, I have been described as demanding but what will the "itch" do for the students? :-)

Let's just see at the end of the term.

But for now, I am at peace that I am uniquely excited to facilitate :)

"... why think like mere men?"

beauty's invisible trap

A part of my professional life is involved and engaged in looking after a boutique talent agency.

I'd like to say that we "discover and develop" talent. But after doing the job for awhile now, it would be more apt to say that we really simply help focus, magnify and channel for the individual, the people we call "the talent", what is inherent in them. And then we emphatically add, "... but you have to continuously work at it, too."

To be born with physical beauty, irregardless whether they are male or female, is a gift. And like any other gifts, it comes with responsibilities.

And it is here in the responsibility side and the lack of it that their journey begins.

Maybe because they have been given the face that most people would give a second or even a third look that they start to think that that's the only thing necessary for life. But who can blame them in embracing this world view when people have made life easier for them :- )

But what happens when time takes all that beauty and youth away? And the people they unconsciously rely on moves on?

To be appreciated and to receive appreciation is not a sin.

But "how" did one receive the appreciation when it led to being lazy about life itself? For not performing in school? To not finishing college when you are already in your mid-20s? Worse, not even high school?

Who erred when this happens?

Does being born with a beautiful or handsome face a talent?

Seriously. A talent?

People in our position, people who man talent agencies, is faced with this very unique challenge - how can we help these individuals adjust to the reality that life will throw challenges at them. That beauty, not handle properly, is a trap in its own.

We earn our dues because it takes sincerity to make people, who were made to believed that the whole world revolves around them, realize that they have to work in order for their dreams to be realized. Simply showing up does not cut it.

It takes mad creativity to make people, who were made to believed that the whole world revolves around them, realize that they are now competing with other people who were also made to believed that the whole world revolves around them too :- )

It takes awhile for most to understand that competition dynamic.

For those who get it, they become better and far more influential.

For those who do not get it, they fall into beauty's invisible trap and their confusion... painful... education begins :-)

"... why think like mere men?"

on learning, film and vanity

I added something new this term.

Instead of the usual hardcopy paper at the end, I challenged my students to "produce" a documentary "youtube.com" worthy on top of the hardcopy paper.

The direction was for them to get a host company, apply what was discussed in class and produce a documentary about it.

I saw the first two batches. Well, let's just say that there's always room for improvement :)

There are groups who thought that the academic requirement were an ode and their chance for their respective close-ups :)

Some, simply did what was required but missed and coming up with a cohesive line of thought. There was no story. Just bad editing. Which is a more direct measure of cluttered thinking.

But gems were found.

And the hypothesis I had at the start was proven correct.

I have always believed that when students write a report and presents it in the usual "powerpoint" methodology, something is left out. A certain essence goes out of the window.

One, in written form, we put a lot of pressure on the the students to have a certain set of vocabulary. A rhetoric. Two, we are actually giving the listener a dangerous creative freedom to "visualize" what the student is actually saying. This usually, if mishandled, leads to a lot of un-cluttering. Such as waste in time.

So, I asked, why do we write a paper when the effort to create a moving picture is so easy and so cheap at this day and age? Why be stuck using a methodology that assumes that computing was so expensive when in fact it is so cheap now?

Plus, wasn't it written somewhere, a Chinese proverb perhaps, that a picture paints a thousand words. And that was a static picture. What if it were moving pictures? Does it follow that it paints a hundred thousand words per minute? :)

But what I like about the "10 minute film" presentation instead of a written report is that the class can watch 8-9 "reports" in one seating. It's so casual. So natural. The reflection is instinctive. Feedback automatic.

Just in case we have forgotten - language, words and letters, collectively was simply a designed methodology, a tool, used to convey thought and meaning. What was instinctive and natural were drawing pictures, wall painting :)

So, why limit the proof that learning happened to the unnatural and the synthetic way when technology allows us now to convey meaning and thought in its natural form?

"... why think like mere men?"

life and things

The most important things in life.... well... are not things :- )

on Philippine presidential "leadership"

What does it tell you when a former President maligns an incumbent?
What does it tell you when an incumbent President maligns a former?

May we all please stop?

There's a job that needs to get done.

Have you ever heard of a former US President maligning an incumbent?
Have you ever heard of an incumbent US President maligning a former President?

Do we understand why it is a no-no for Presidents, former and incumbent, to malign one another?

Leaders know the reason behind this. Bosses do not.

You sat in that Office. You understand what it means. You know that the toughest and the most difficult decisions are made in that Office. You know how it is.

A year into his Presidency, David Letterman once asked US President Barack Obama, "What are the things you know now that you did not know before?"

President Obama, in effect, said something like "There's a reason why the toughest and most difficult decision are made at the Oval Office. Because if it wasn't the toughest and the most difficult, it will not reach the Oval Office."

"...why think like mere men?"

we begin with our future :- )

I could be wrong. But I could also be right :- )

Way back in the 80s, there was this management trade book called In Search of Excellence. It was a bestseller. USA's answer to the onslaught of Japanese management buzzwords entering the lexicon of corporate America at that time.

I read that book when I was still on my undergraduate years. Yes, I am a super freak when it comes to anything to do with business and management literature. And if there's one thing I remember about that book is this one liner to open a chapter - "Ready. Fire. Aim!".

The authors, Tom Peters being one of them, wanted to underline the fact that excellent companies are biased for action.

Check. Got that.

Fast forward to the Philippines. To my limited view of reality :)

Anything taken to extreme is a bad thing. Right?

I am amazed by the number of studies that inundate our local press. Studies done by all this foreign entities that pegs the Philippines, almost always, near the bottom of that study.

And because we are not rooted to who we truly are, as a people, we panic. And we do the next best and expected thing - we act. Because we are taught to be biased for action :-)

Nothing wrong with that per se.

But if our actions further leads us to the dependence of others and in so doing enabling them to have their way with us, then - the biased for action rule of thumb becomes a yoking tool. A very silent and carefully veiled form of enslavement :-)

There is one industry that I understand more than others, our local education industry.

I do not disagree with the drive that we should produce graduates readily employable with the demand of the developed world. This road has its use and socio-economic value. Some may even be called to walk and travel on this particular journey.

What I am worried about is when the message of the local industry is sounding like this is the only road.

Isn't it that the educational institutions are supposed to educate and enlighten? Though "employable graduates" is a very good metric to indicate education quality, is that the most important metric?

What happens when we "unwittingly" and "unknowingly" divert the best minds of our land to be of use to what is important in the developed world that we end up robbing our country with what it needs - someone who will "multiply" the abundant natural and endemic treasures of the Philippines, our soil, our land and our seas?

Are we not contributing to our further enslavement, to our further dependence when we do this? Which in turn "strengthens" our much maligned status quo?

Are we really and truly educating when we do this?

Are we truly biased for action? Or are we biased for action for the sake of simply being biased for action?

The West and the most developed part of Asia is either scrambling or well-entrenched in Information Technology (IT) or in anything manufacturing. First, IT to our generation is what the car manufacturing was during the time of Ford and of Alfred Sloan. And manufacturing is one business system that needs a lot of bodies to run. Both fields that China and India covet because of their population size.

Can we compete with them? Or should we simply continue with the niche strategy we have?

But as we hold fort in these fields and produce minds for this, who takes care of our version of Middle East oil - our very soil, our seas and our land?

I am not limiting this to the environment loving Maria Makiling spirit. This extends to how can we make the most out of our lands in a very sustainable way.

Our land is being bought/ leased by our cash-heavy Asian counterparts who understand how rich we are. Have we ever heard of a Saudi prince selling a part of Saudi Arabia to foreigners? This is what's happening to us as our limitly educated farmers are selling their lands.

Statistics say that by 2022, the world will have to support 7 billion people. Will we, the Filipinos, be a niche player in that socio-economic system? Still taking on calls of the West and supporting their back-end offices? Still adding only labor to the Supply Chain of multinationals?

Or will we choose to be the premier supplier to the food basket of the world?

This path is filled with fears and with uncertainties. But wasn't it the case also for those who cross the Atlantic to build America?

This path needs will. This path needs courage. And it starts with what future do we want to build.

This is the same spirit that drives our Western counterparts and the more economically developed Asians to say and demand from us, Filipinos, that they need researchers on this and on that. And that they need talents and competencies on this and on that.

They are building the future they want.

When will we begin to build the future we want?

"... why think like mere men?"

A Father's Love :- )

Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same loving Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and everyday. Either he will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings.

~ St. Francis de Sales

A question for the future Service Engineering Manager from Mapua :)

We studied the Open Systems view of Service. Let's put that into good and practical use. Read the article below, which was posted in "www.goodnewspilipinas.com".

Laughing cicada among 300 new species found in Philippines

A shark whose markings make it appear camouflaged for the desert and “laughing” cicadas are among 300 new species discovered by scientists in the Philippines.

The six-week expedition of 35 US and Filipino experts led by the California Academy of Sciences discovered 200 new marine invertebrates, 11 new fish, and at least 40 new spiders.

The scientist John McCosker told AFP the team discovered several small catsharks with brown backs, dark stripes and white bellies, colours which he had never seen on any other shark before.

Dr Terry Gosliner, curator at the California Academy of Sciences, said the Philippines’ complex geological history made it a goldmine of new life forms: “This is the place where the action is. The Philippines has more diversity on land and sea than any other place on earth.”

Most of the marine exploration was focused on the Verde Island Passage, a deep-water channel separating the island of Luzon from Mindoro for at least 60m years. “If the Philippines is the centre of marine biodiversity, this area is the centre of the centre. It’s been very stable for so long that marine life has really flourished,” said Goslinger.

The hunt for new species on land was focused on four relatively unexplored mountains on the southern island of Luzon, which face threats from climate change, deforestation and poaching.

Among the other discoveries, the entomologist Ireneo Lit said his team had found a cicada that made a sound like high-pitched laughter.

“The local residents were afraid of them. They thought the laughter was from dwarves, laughing dwarves,” he told AFP of the insect found on 2,158-metre Mount Banahaw, a volcano on Luzon.

Gosliner has been studying the Philippines for 20 years and says he is encouraged that many protected shallow water areas are in better shape than when he first arrived.

However, the expedition was concerned by the state of deeper waters. “There were a lot fewer fishes than I would have expected and a lot more plastic,” said Goslinger. “We used nets dragging from our trawler to explore areas deeper than 80 metres and each of our 40 trawls brought up lots of plastic in their nets – in some cases more plastic than life. The ocean is being overfished and clearly used as a garbage dump.”

Now, if you "google" Verde Island Passage, you will know that this is one of the busiest Philippine sea lanes. But in 2006, the whole world acknowledged that this place, a place we all pass through as we go to Puerto Galera from Batangas, is the WORLD'S CENTER OF MARINE BIODIVERSITY!

What comes to mind now? What jumps out? How do we move forward?

The "thing" that jumps out is proof that you learned something new. Money well spent :)

Now, put it to good use:)

"... why think like mere men?"

on business metrics

How we measure and what we measure show how limited or expansive is our view of reality :)

"...why think like mere men."

for my students who plan to lie their way in doing their projects

Know that even Lebron "The King" James found out the hard and the painful way that there are no shortcuts to success. So, why would you even try to hasten your way towards graduation by taking a shortcut? By lying?

I know you and you will be found wanting :- )

"... why think like mere men?"

basketball entry

I love basketball. I played it on the cemented roads of Tundo when I was younger :- )

I had my share of "championship" moments that defined who I am as a man today but that is infinitely nothing to the world compared to what was at stake Monday morning (in the Philippines) - the 2011 NBA Title.

Though my love for the Mavericks roots from the fact that I really didn't like how Lebron handled his departure from Cleveland, Dirk was simply unstoppable during the fourth quarters of this Finals and the Dallas bench was phenomenal when Dirk was struggling.

As the pundits wrote it - Miami had the better talent but Dallas had the better team.

Aside from the James dislike, I wanted the Mavericks to win for Jason Kidd. I love the way he plays. His freelancing ways and his wanting to have everybody involved. A team player. And the fact that he had to reinvent himself during his 15th season, is something else. My hats off to him. This is the same sentiment why I rooted for Miami back in the 2006 Finals. At that time, it was for the fierce Alonzo Mourning.

Well, congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks for winning the 2011 NBA Title! Champions, at last! :-)

on jobs

Keeping the job and doing the job are two separate things. Sometimes the effort to keep it stops us from doing it :- )

"... why think like mere men?"

the Sir Winston Churchill arc

Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.

"... why think like mere men?"

counter-intuitive 4.0

The more we know, the more we realize that we did not know anything today. And that we were babies just yesterday :)

"... why think like mere men?"

on improvement

Stumbled upon this,

"If you can recognize the need for improvement, things are already improving."

"... why think like mere men?"

Steve Jobs on taking responsibility

"When you are the janitor, reasons matter. Somewhere between the janitor and the CEO, reasons stop mattering."

~ From Fortune, 23 May 2011 issue

it's about the journey

There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they're necessary to reach the places we've chosen to go.

~ Richard Bach, Author

"... why think like mere men?"

the Alvin Toffler arc

"If you do not develop a strategy of your own, you become part of someone else's strategy."

~ Alvin Toffler, sociologist and futurist

the Al Pacino arc

"Play or be played!"

~ Any Given Sunday, film

counter-intuitive 3.0

In order for leaders and managers to solve problems, leaders and managers must accept first that the prevailing leadership and management is part of the problem. To be part of the solution, one must acknowledge his contribution to the problem :)

"... why think like mere men?"

counter-intuitive 2.0

To understand something, try changing it. To change something, try understanding it first :)

"... why think like mere men?"

counter-intuitive 1.0

They would not care about what we know until they know that we care...

"... why think like mere men?"

for the upcoming MEMO student leaders

This is for the few good men/ women, only :)

MEMO is entering its 3rd year. And this coming SY 2011-12, if I am reading it correctly, MEMO will be going over a major leadership overhaul.

We all should be thankful for the sacrifices and efforts done by those who have served. And for those who did not serve, at least we now know who we should avoid and pray for. MEMO will not reach this point if not for those bright spots of selflessness of those who came and truly served.

For those who will take on the mantle of leadership of MEMO this year, hear me out, listen - you have to think of others before yourself. You have to put them first before yourself. This is counter-intuitive but if we do that, if we are selfless, we receive at least eight (8) persons looking out for our welfare instead of only one, our selfish self :)

If you do not get that, maybe it's not yet your time to serve. But if you get what I meant, read on.

This being the 3rd year means that MEMO's quest is not to be known. MEMO is known. Whether MEMO's current constituent perception is good or bad is not the issue of those who came before you. Their burden is to let EMG students know that they have an organization they can call their own.

But your burden and your challenge that is being bestowed upon you is different.

You have in your hands the power, the privilege and the responsibility to give an answer to the question of - We know there's MEMO, but what does MEMO stand for?

Pray humbly. Thread carefully. Speak softly. Think deeply. Act with conviction. Be relentless!

You will only pass through this life once.

Live!

Express this life by the things you do and build. And let the criticisms, the gossips and the bickering be the realm, the haven and the home of those people you will leave behind.

Live!

on cognitive dissonance

A crisis is too precious, too important, too expensive and too rare a thing to waste by downplaying it :)

~ SITRUSO

"...why think like mere men?"

the philippine pre-colonial past i know is already history :)

The journey that is QMS.

For the uninitiated QMS stands for Quality Management Systems. It is business speak, Industrial Engineering speak :)

I was given the privilege by Mapua to design and develop a learning session content on the aforementioned. I've been at it for a little over two months now. I'm on the "coding" side of it already. Putting on the complementary powerpoint presentation. And from this, the accompanying handout.

To add to my practical knowledge on the topic, I challenged myself to dig a bit. The plan was to present the topic in a fresh way. Ironically, to do that, my journey brought me back in time :)

In my research on QMS, the Japanese keep on popping up. Their influence can not be ignored. It's like the Beatles or U2. Their imprints are everywhere if you wanted to form your own rock band :)

The Japanese spirit is right in the middle of it. And it is in this fork that my shock began :)

Following the practice of doctors, in finding out why we are where we are, I asked questions. This is where my time traveling began and I was re-acquainted with the fact that, in Asia, the Philippines was only 2nd to Japan after the World War II. But right around the time of the Korean War, the Japanese economic climb accelerated and they have not looked back ever since. We currently hear about the emergence of China and of India. Japan was on this economic pace in the early to mid-50s.

It was always during this time when the economic divide between Philippines and Japan widened.

I caught myself asking, why? How come?

I mean, Japan and the Philippines belonged to the top 3 most devastated countries after World War II. The third one being Germany.

But how come, we were left behind when we were neck in neck, economically, in the 50s?

What gives? What changed?

The usual media friendly, or should I say spin doctor written answer, is the quality of leadership since the 50s to the 80s. I know that that fact has its own contribution. It definitely did not help but is that it?

So, I went back further in time. As in further back in time like pre-colonial Philippines. Like, even before Lapu-Lapu was born. No. This is even before the great, great, great, great, great grandfather of Lapu-Lapu was born :)

Wikipedia told me the following facts:

Before Magellan arrived, Negrito tribes roamed the isles, but they were later supplanted by Austronesians. These groups then stratified into: hunter-gatherer tribes, warrior-societies, petty plutocracies and maritime oriented harbor principalities which eventually grew into kingdoms, rajahnates, principalities, confederations and sultanates. States such as the Indianized Rajahnate of Butuan and Cebu, the dynasty of Tondo, the august kingdoms of Maysapan and Maynila, the Confederation of Madyaas, the sinified Country of Mai, as well as the Muslim Sultanates of Sulu and Maguindanao. These small states flourished from as early as the 10th century AD, Despite these kingdoms attaining complex political and social orders, as well as enjoying trade with areas now called China, India, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, none encompassed the whole archipelago which was to become the unified Philippines of the twentieth century. The remainder of the settlements were independent Barangays allied with one of the larger nations.

And I was surprised. Shocked.

One must really update oneself with his country's history :)

The pre-colonial history I know when I was in Grade 6 in the 80s was not like that. Or maybe I was really a bad student of Philippine history :)

From the context I have while my eyes was gliding over those written words, I was surprised to know that before the Europeans came, nine (9) as in NINE political autonomous governments lived side by side with one another and shared the geographic space we now call the Philippines.

Wow! While the Europeans was busy outdoing one another with colonizing the world and going to war with one another, the "Indios" had the sophistication to live in peace with nine different cultures. Fascinating :)

Do not get me wrong if you sense a bit of anger. There was a time my response was tinged with anger. But I have moved beyond that. I realize everything happens for a reason. And who in the world was not colonized, except maybe for Japan and Thailand? :)

This QMS journey is something else.

This preparation is taking me longer than planned but it is fascinating. I hope the participants, if the QMS learning session would push through as scheduled, can catch the fire that was further inflamed while I was preparing :)

"... why think like mere men?"

Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten :)

a serendiptious insight from a Ethiopian brother

I run. In a week, three times. I spend, at least, 35 minutes running on a relax pace. Once, I ran in a 10K race. I made it in 1 hour and 7 minutes. But there was this instance, timing myself, I ran the same distance under 1 hour. Doctors say that if a guy like me, at my age, ran 10 kilometer under 1 hour, that is good.

Which brings me to this mind boggling fact, Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia ran a marathon, all 42 kilometers, in 2 hours: 03 minutes: 59 seconds. This is the world record he established in 28 Septemeber 2008 at the Berlin Marathon.

If we convert this impressive feat to how much distance Mr. Gebrselassie covers in one (1) measly second, that will be 5.65 meters/second. If we want that in English terms, that will be 18.52 feet/second. What makes this even more out of this world impressive is the fact that The Emperor, as he is known among his peers, is 5 feet and 5 inches tall.

How is that even possible?

A friend who is into marathons once told me that, The Emperor trains by having himself chased by a hungry lion. He is joking of course.

This 18.52 feet/second pace was something I couldn't comprehend until early this week when an Ethiopian brother gave an insight.

He said that the reason why his countryman, his brother, runs that fast is primarily due to his talent but also because Ethiopia has geographic quirk. An advantage :) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital city, the place where most of their athletes come from and train is about 2,000 meters above sea level. At that height, air is thin and the presence of oxygen is scarcer compared to places on sea level.

Because of this, people who were born there have adapted to this challenging conditions. Their heart and lungs can function normally in these oxygen-scarce conditions. That when they compete on marathons, ran on sea level, they actually, effectively, do not get tired nor winded. Because on this sea-level conditions, their heart and lungs are actually having a much easier time, running, than training in Addis Ababa because of an "overwhelming presence" of oxygen :)

With that explanation, 18.52 feet/second started to become possible. But I am not aiming for that. I am content in running 10 kilometers under one hour :)

Besides, I am called to do other things :)

Which reminded me of a truth - the environment that we live in, the one that we see, know and accept that exists, shapes us. Molds us.

Blessed is the man who lives and understand this thin air and oxygen-scarce truth - that knowing God and walking with Him is more than sufficient.

Have a personally meaningful Lent!

"... why think like mere men?"

a student called Minimum Effort

I got a student.

This student always asks, "Sir, pwede bang ganito...?", every time after I described the end term project.

Nothing wrong with the literal question.

But with over a decade of hearing questions, definitely over 10,000 hours of them, I have come to "hear" what the student was actually saying via the question. Simply put, the student wants to know the minimum requirement, the acceptable borderline quality, so that the student can proceed doing just that. That's it.

Categorically, there's is also nothing wrong with that.

But if I may use an example as to why that drove me to write, I will liken it to a person, let's call this person - Person :)

Person was required to tell a story about Person's dream vacation destination. To make it more interesting, Person's manager put out a reward. The quality of the story is the only criteria whether Person will receive the reward or not. And the reward is something Person truly wants and desire all Person's life.

Person's manager gave Person two means to enable Person to tell the story: [1] watch a video of this dream vacation destination or [2] actually go to this dream vacation destination, all expense paid and no strings attached.

Guess what alternative Person chose?

Person chose alternative 1.

Stop. Full Stop. Breathe. Stop again.

Now you understand why I had to write.

I hope Person knows that the Indians take advance class before their 7AM class. I hope Person knows that the Chinese goes to sleep reading on advance calculus book. I hope Person knows that the reason why the Koreans are in the Philippines is because they want to know what it's like to constantly speak in English at least for most of the day.

Person's Asian counterparts wants to samba with the Asian century. But Person chose to be seated and act cool :)

It won't be long, Person's name will become Lost Opportunities :)

"... why think like mere men?"

expectation

"Life is not about winning. Life is about not quitting..."

... why think like mere men?

going to Lent

"Are we in the Land of the Living going to the Land of the Dead? Or are we in the Land of the Dead going to the Land of the Living?

the times of the three screens

It crept in. And now we are hooked. Addicted.

Just in case you still do not know, we are always looking at one of the three screens. Just right now you are looking at one of it, the computer screen. Or maybe, you are holding it's little friend called the mobile phone screen. And maybe on Sunday, you will watch the NBA Playoffs in it's bigger friend, the TV screen :)

I bet there were times you probably were using all of them at the same time :)

But I am not here to tease. I'm just want to share a good and noble deed by our government watch dogs, the NTC, that most probably went unnoticed to a typical undergraduate student of Strategic Planning and Management.

Early this January, some business mavens wanted to put a cap on the amount of data a user taps or downloads over the web in a day. Seems harmless until we compute the amount of data we call everyday. Think - how long do we spend connected on the web either through a desktop, laptop or a handheld device? How much data do we "consume" in a day?

And the telcos wanted to put a cap on that.

One of the reasons given was to dissuade a number of people who are on a residential plan but downloads 24/7. These people must be on a business plan. Shame on them:)

This seems fair until, of course, one realizes and reasons why should everybody be punished by the acts of a few enterprising people? :)

But why suggest a cap? Does it follow that the telcos wanted to put a premium on top of the cap?

Well, no use on discussing that now because NTC ditched the cap proposal. Kudos to them :)

I wonder if the telcos' business model need to be reconfigured...

"... why think like mere men?"

challenged to be world-class

The 4th term race is on. I have four preparations on my plate. Two of which are new ones. But that's my lot in life :)

Anyway, I feel stronger every time I learn a new thing. And I'm excitedly, like a boy, so looking forward to what becomes of an idea that dawned on me a few nights back.

To be allowed to be alone with one's thoughts while sipping a hot cup of joe is a dangerously good place to be in :)

When I grow tired of reading (and watching) real but depressing local news, one of the things I do to bring balance is to go to a site called "goodnewspilipinas.com". There, I immerse myself with everything that's beautiful about the Philippines and the Filipinos. It was there where I "met" Ronald Ventura.

Before 05 April, to me at least, he is an unknown. But now, his name will forever be tied and linked to Sotheby's, $ 1.1 million and Grayground :) Apparently, this "unknown" painter set a world record sale for Contemporary Southeast Asian Painting at Sotheby's, a renowned Hong Kong auction house.

I was thinking, or better yet, asking myself - did Mr Ventura know that he was that good before Sotheby's? It must have been a surreal experience knowing that there were 15 bidders who badly wants your work. All bidders willing to pay very good money and to top it all, it took 50 furious bids before the auction came to a close.

When the personal "buzz" subsided, I found myself with this quandary on my lap - how does one know he is world-class? Yung, hindi lang pang-barangay. Does one need a confirmation? Or is it enough to put everything you have on canvas?

So, I left my run in with Mr Ventura at that and decided to work on something else. And after some few hours, slept.

But the seed was planted :)

So, when I met my class this morning - I planted the usual end term project on Grayground and asked my students to come up with a 10-minute documentary version of the report they will develop. On top of that, I required them to upload it on youtube and open themselves to the "criticism" and "praise" of the whole world. I said, Mapua envisions itself to be a global player - so, why not open our work for to the discriminating and culturally diverse taste and opinion of the world?

Why wait until after graduation to personally confirm whether you are ready for the world when the technology, which we often take for granted, to know whether we are is in our hands? Wouldn't it be better to know now so that we have more time to twitch ourselves before prime-time?

I am looking forward to the end of the term :)

Let's see what happens.

"... why think like mere men?"

a line from a song :)

Everyone will die.
But not everyone can claim they have lived.

a teacher's burden

"And here we go..."

A new term has begun for us in Mapua. It is the 4th. Once again I was reminded of the burden that is called teaching.

For those who make a living out of teaching, I pray that we all burn completely. For it is when we are burning completely that our light, borrowed it may seem, is the brightest.

For us to give the brigthest light, we first - burn.

Lord, pangunahan Ninyo po ako...

a great nation :)

Got this from CNN :)

A tsunami that followed a massive earthquake last month may have destroyed some of Japan's structures, but police say the honest practice of turning in lost items, especially cash, remains intact.

Residents have turned in lost cash across the tsunami zone at a much higher rate than usual, the Miyagi Prefectural Police Department tells CNN.

A police spokesman, who asked not to be identified, citing department policy, said he could not specify how much cash has been turned in to lost-and-found offices at police stations. But, he said, of the 24 police stations across Miyagi Prefecture, nine of them are on the Pacific coastline.

Japan's cultural mores remain strong

Between March 12, the day following the earthquake and tsunami, and March 31, those nine police stations collected 10 times the amount of lost cash collected at the other 15 stations combined.

Japanese children, from a young age, are taught to turn in any lost items, including cash, to police stations. The cultural practice of returning lost items and never keeping what belongs to a stranger has meant police departments like Tokyo's Metropolitan have an entire warehouse filled with lost shoes, umbrellas and wallets.

In the tsunami zone, where personal items lie amid miles of rubble, it's meant that lost valuables have often gone directly to police, rather than the pocket of the finder.

The lost cash hasn't been easy to handle, the Miyagi Prefectural Police Department says. Money found along with some identification is being returned, but officers have been able to return only 10% of the cash.

Cash that wasn't in a wallet is left unclaimed at the police station. After three months, the person who turned in the cash is able to collect that lost money. But police say people are already waiving their rights to claim the cash when they turn it in.

Unclaimed cash will eventually be sent to the Miyagi Prefectural Government, though police say they do not know how it will be used.

Also found: Hundreds of safes that can't be opened. If the prefectural government allocates funding for opening the safes, police will start doing so.

Prefectural police believe that these safes could contain not only currency, but bank books, stocks and land deeds, which could give a huge boost to the amount of lost money.

I can only compare how we behaved during the time we were hit by Ondoy. We still have a long way to go. A very long way to go. But I am hopeful.

"...why think like mere men?"

what if?

What if, in the end, we will really succeed? How will we see the messy situation we find ourselves in?

If in the end we will really succeed, what should we do now that we find ourselves on the floor?

"... why think like mere men?"

the lent switch was turned on :)

We will all have the same ending.
Death.
True.
That it is.

What will be different is how we journeyed through life.
And that's a choice.
True.
That it is.

That is why it said, "... the journey is more important than the end..."

"... why think like mere men?"

Tet-a-te

Friend: So, how's married life?
Me : (smiling) Simpler.
Friend: (smiling) Why? How come?
Me : There's only one choice - go home to my wife :)

The paradox of choice.

If we list all the alternatives that we have, then add the choice we've made and apply the concept of "opportunity loss" to all the alternatives we've let go, it will always lead to a depressed boy. Not unless we made the wisest choice :)

That decision we've made, that choice we've embraced, will always be miniscule compared to all that alternatives we've let go. Because the summation of all opportunity loss of all the alternatives will always outnumber and outweigh the choice.

Only when we know the value and the weight of a right choice can we truly be happy. Without that knowledge, we will always be unhappy because all the choices and all the alternatives have equal weight :)

And the right choice only appears when we truly know what we want. And it is bliss if we have what we want.

Oh, I love my wife!

"... why think like mere men?"

"... with God and with eternity"

'My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer,' the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky. 'Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity.'"

~ Paulo Coelho
Brazilian Novelist, Author of 'The Alchemist'

2011 leaders

Leaders will allow you to fail but will not allow you to become a failure...

"Here today. Gone Tomorrow."

Stumbled upon this:

When you are here, you are here. When you are gone, you are gone. It isn't a problem to be gone, so long as you are really here when you're here.

~ Kent Nerburn

Are we really here? Or have we spent our days looking back. Carrying what needs to be left behind? Brooding on our mistakes and lost opportunities?

It has been a practice of mine after a 10-week learning session in my undergraduate class to ask what was the one lesson that have resonated with them. One young man wrote: "... when you said that our bodies are designed to move forward. That life must be lived forward."

Upon the course of this particular class I found that this young man just had his first rough term. A term that made him question himself. To him I say, it is better that you are asking these important questions now that you are still young. That's a gift. That you are asking the important questions while you are young. While your responsibilities are contained only to yourself.

It is gift when we are found out. Most specially by ourselves:) Because it is there where we ask the important questions :)

"... why think like mere men?"