Home. With no professional engagement for the day due to the Black Nazarene procession in the City of Manila, I am in my house husband clothes. I just fed my little girl, Yanna. She's asleep. And my mind wanders to a talk I will give in 12 days. A "sustainability" talk.
As I draw the slides, offline, of my presentation, there's this nagging question of 'Can the world, I mean its resources, build another America, in economic size, out of the Philippines? Out of Sri Lanka? How about Myanmar? East Timor-Leste?'
I mean, our current economic giants became giants with the help of world's natural resources which were consumed and will never be replenished again. The green house gases in our atmosphere were due to their economic drive and rise. Can Mother Nature still nurse the developing country to become a developed country?
And by developed country, do we mean that the developing countries have to look and smell like New York? Paris? So, should we invest in nuclear power plants?
What do we mean by a developed country? Will it still mean in the semblance of USA? of Japan? of UK? of EU? Or will it mean differently moving forward?
Will becoming a developed country still be the gold standard of any country's aspiration even if that level of development is not sustainable?
Is it, development, still the central question? Or is it - sustainability?
It has been over two years since I got immersed to the idea, a fact, that all our business processes, manufacturing or service, results to two things. One, is the desired result. The product, wealth. The other one, emissions - waste.
Yanna is awake now. Play time :- )
"... why think like mere men?"
Thursday
Monday
The Three "Muskeeters"
I put on the hat of a Student-Faculty Adviser (SFA) every enrollment. I have been doing this for almost a decade now. One of the primary objective of an SFA is to advise the students if the courses they plan to take for the upcoming term are the apt ones considering their individual academic performance last term. It's to ensure that they have a better chance of getting through the hurdle.
Last week, well, I had a moment. A heart to heart talk with students, the three musketeers :- )
I am glad that they asked the right question. The only question that really needs to be answered. Not the fear-laden request of "May I know who teaches that course at that time?" or the shortcut-tainted, "Sir, may I be included in that class?"
No. These three young lad asked, "Would you advise Sir if we should continue our studies in Mapua?"
Now, that's a question!
I asked them why they are considering a reboot of sorts of their young life. One shared that he was surprise to see that his parents have already invested close to PhP 600,000 ($15,000) and, at best, he still has two more years to go.
So, I asked, "Before I answer your question, I'd like to know what did you get out of the money invested? I mean, aside from getting a passing grade?"
To this, a moment of silence then a pained smirk was the visual reply I got.
To this I said, "To continue your studies in a different institution is always an option. You always have that. But before you consider that, I think, it is better to ask - what do you want out of your life? A change in the environment will help, but if what you got here is not what you wanted, I hope you know what you want before you decide to transfer. Because if that is not yet pat down, clear, there's a possibility that we might find ourselves in the same situation. The only difference is that we are older. Why not consider stopping for awhile. You know, to think things over."
They stared. Took it all in.
Our 1-hour conversation took a lot of turns as they weigh on their next move.
With education showing its business colors even more prominently, students like the "three musketeers" will continue to pay until they hit the academic residency wall. They will continue to grind it out and hold on to an idea that being a graduate of Mapua will be enough to wash away all the years of confusion and of verbal abused they heard, hopefully not listened to.
My hope is that as they muddle through and soldier on, they get to know themselves better. Because that's more important than all the classes they took and passed.
"... why think like mere men?"
Last week, well, I had a moment. A heart to heart talk with students, the three musketeers :- )
I am glad that they asked the right question. The only question that really needs to be answered. Not the fear-laden request of "May I know who teaches that course at that time?" or the shortcut-tainted, "Sir, may I be included in that class?"
No. These three young lad asked, "Would you advise Sir if we should continue our studies in Mapua?"
Now, that's a question!
I asked them why they are considering a reboot of sorts of their young life. One shared that he was surprise to see that his parents have already invested close to PhP 600,000 ($15,000) and, at best, he still has two more years to go.
So, I asked, "Before I answer your question, I'd like to know what did you get out of the money invested? I mean, aside from getting a passing grade?"
To this, a moment of silence then a pained smirk was the visual reply I got.
To this I said, "To continue your studies in a different institution is always an option. You always have that. But before you consider that, I think, it is better to ask - what do you want out of your life? A change in the environment will help, but if what you got here is not what you wanted, I hope you know what you want before you decide to transfer. Because if that is not yet pat down, clear, there's a possibility that we might find ourselves in the same situation. The only difference is that we are older. Why not consider stopping for awhile. You know, to think things over."
They stared. Took it all in.
Our 1-hour conversation took a lot of turns as they weigh on their next move.
With education showing its business colors even more prominently, students like the "three musketeers" will continue to pay until they hit the academic residency wall. They will continue to grind it out and hold on to an idea that being a graduate of Mapua will be enough to wash away all the years of confusion and of verbal abused they heard, hopefully not listened to.
My hope is that as they muddle through and soldier on, they get to know themselves better. Because that's more important than all the classes they took and passed.
"... why think like mere men?"
Wednesday
So it begins...
The year 2013 was filled with milestones for me.
Becoming a Dad is right there on the top. This "new" role made me realize that we truly communicate without even speaking. Yanna, our 1-year old, does not even speak but she knows and understands. Funny. Heartwarming stuff. Everyday. Let's not get started :- )
Imaj, the boutique talent agency I help out in as their operation's think-tank, had to leap loops. Loops that were made by the hands of the taxman and the ever evolving and still very dynamic Advertising industry. Our liquidity almost turned into a drought. I had to dig deep and get creative on how to manage cash flows. A Van Horne text got me started on the taxman's challenge. While the concept and practice of Service Quality helped on the other.
I had to study a lot in 2013 because I had to facilitate a lot of learning on top of the Mapua load. The learning sessions varied in content, in context and in its students. Some, were held in board rooms. Some, in training rooms. Some, where to 20-somethings. Others, to employees a few months away to retirement. Some companies had to train or else they close shop. While others, had the luxury of the long view. The interactions and the back and forth in all of these are the real pearls.
Going to the gym became a habit because if I had not trained for a three straight days, I will feel that I need to go back to the gym.
I think the Omnipotent One stretched me in 2013.
Now that 2014 just begun, I wonder what this year holds. For one, I will be joining the "life begins at 40" club :- )
May we all have a meaningful and joy-filled 2014 :- )
"... why think like mere men?"
Becoming a Dad is right there on the top. This "new" role made me realize that we truly communicate without even speaking. Yanna, our 1-year old, does not even speak but she knows and understands. Funny. Heartwarming stuff. Everyday. Let's not get started :- )
Imaj, the boutique talent agency I help out in as their operation's think-tank, had to leap loops. Loops that were made by the hands of the taxman and the ever evolving and still very dynamic Advertising industry. Our liquidity almost turned into a drought. I had to dig deep and get creative on how to manage cash flows. A Van Horne text got me started on the taxman's challenge. While the concept and practice of Service Quality helped on the other.
I had to study a lot in 2013 because I had to facilitate a lot of learning on top of the Mapua load. The learning sessions varied in content, in context and in its students. Some, were held in board rooms. Some, in training rooms. Some, where to 20-somethings. Others, to employees a few months away to retirement. Some companies had to train or else they close shop. While others, had the luxury of the long view. The interactions and the back and forth in all of these are the real pearls.
Going to the gym became a habit because if I had not trained for a three straight days, I will feel that I need to go back to the gym.
I think the Omnipotent One stretched me in 2013.
Now that 2014 just begun, I wonder what this year holds. For one, I will be joining the "life begins at 40" club :- )
May we all have a meaningful and joy-filled 2014 :- )
"... why think like mere men?"
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