My fault - August 24 Reflections

It's my fault. 

Yes. It's my fault. I am to be blamed for my country's mess. Why?

1. I buy items made by companies who are owned by the oligarchs or multi national corporations.
2. I watch TV owned by the country elite and oligarch
3. I use roads, bridges and highways built by government funds but made by substandard materials in order for small medium contractors can eke a living
4. I elect barangay officials, municipal officials, congressmen and senators based on their good looks, persuasive speaking skills, media exposure.
5. I allow the laws made by these congressfolks to run through my society not knowing these laws are meant to allow their companies to get richer 
6. I allow "Hayaan mo na. Pwede na yan. Pwede pa. Tao lang naman nagkakamali " values to propagate my society.
7. I leave my country and go abroad to earn fast, spend more and feed my family to companies owned by oligarchs or chinese businessmen.
8. I studied hard in school to gain a 2-3-4 letter salutation before or after my name only to be relegated as job hunter employee and not as job creator.
9. I listen too much and read too many bad news i am becoming a cynic, paranoid and pessimist.
10. I spend so much time on social media, hashtag # look at me Im hooked to my gadget, reacting to friends whom i rarely see, even interact.

Shame on me!! 

But not all is lost. I have a choice. I can choose to live work and play in a way that will slowly dismantle the grip of power or my countrys elite and in return "level the playing field".

1. Live - choose to buy local food from the local market, use utensils made by local companies, build my house with materials native to my hometown and most of all be proud and not envious to foreign made (but pinoy employed) 
2. Work - i will use work to gain experience, hone my problem solving skills, brush up my inter personal gift and one day be a job creator not hunter.
3. Play - choose to be entertained by local artists, read books authored by topnotch local authors and attend to local games unique to my culture ( if any)

All is not lost. The power of choice is in ME.

I am but one. But if you are like me, and will share, we will soon have an underground movement that will be mainstream one day.

Imagine the small droplet of water on a pail. Thats me. Leave the drip overnight and one day the pail will overflow.

Go ahead and share! 

Nationalistic

I was inspired by 2 Ilocano men

1. Enrile : displaying his wit, candor, depth and breadth during the 2011 corona trial. Such a display of intelligence at 88 years of age demands a hard look. How could a man, in this twilight years still exhibit attributes defying his age? Is it genes? Practice? Experience? All in?

2. Farinas : his charisma, spot on debating skills, self effacting demeanor is enigmatic : still during the corona trial.

HALF TIME

Ok, so its July, time check. Its half time!!

For corporate people, this is the time for a Mid year check up on their staff performance. Adjust, recover, start/stop doing something, recalibrate. All while keeping an eye of the goal set at the beginning of the year.

Many people simply goes on the ride without making changes. Some chose to live and say 'its beyond my control anyway'. Others who desire results and achievements in their life, seriously think and consider pruning an area that does not produce fruit and tossing a fertilizer onto one which needs growth - all to keep the organism alive..

After all, life is dynamic, an organism, always breathing, ever changing. The worst thing one can do is just to 'coast along'. Honestly, part of me wants to simply do it! But then I remember one of my early childhood heros (Gabriel Quemado), he said 'to go against the current (of life) takes more effort. Simply going along is the easiest - it doesnt even require any effort!"..

Time check folks! Lets all finish strong!

Lost ATM

These events are the rate events that define a persons routine existence in this country.

A country so bent on keeping order. A country repulsive of major upheavals and change.

Boring in this country is good. Robots not people is whats being minted. An army of good followers. Follow without reasoning. Without thinking.

Micro vs Macro managing

WISDOM from the FRONT:

Know when to go high, and when to go low. Meaning: 

1. Be high when you know youve been there, seen enough details and trusted your instincts

2. Be low when youve not encountered the issue or not having enough details to make a decision.

From our beloved CEO.

K

INVEST not just INVENT!

Why do inventors go broke and investors get rich?!

June long weekend

How did one spend his long weekend?

Saturday: june 24 family bfast at Ikea.

• good breakfast at ikea with the boys
• drive to the city to hunt for stroller for rory and jalan jalan as well
• capping the afternoon by studying his word and rest.
• brought Rory to ktph for dinner.

Sunday: wifeys day out: june 25

• early day and takeaway breakfast with the boys at starbucks.
• church!
• late lunch with rory alone at greenwich
• spend time with a church friend from 5-8 having early dinner of noodles, coffee and brownies at cedele greenwich YCK.

Monday: june 26 family time 

• great 20Km, 1.25 hour bike ride with wifey and a prata bread to break the exercise.
• awesome late bfast with kids at Toastbox 313 then shop at muji
• Sleep, read and rest for a hitting the road again 
• cycled to buy a bike part only to be dismayed the part did not solve the problem
• ended early dinner at ktph

 

 

My trigger points

Everytime I watch or hear or experience something, theres always that something in me that wants to improve.

 Heres what I meant:

1. After coming out of a short business travel, I come home, reflect and observed that I want to apply a certain improvement idea to what Ive seen. 

2. Be it a better designed luggage bag. 

3. A better designed earphone jack.

4. A better designed hotel table and carpentry works

5. A better designed cloths design series

6. Maybe even a better designed business shoes!

Is this the harbinger of my entrepreneural ways??? Or am I simply a keen observer to the world, and my engineer and creative arts training is clashing on my subconcious-waging a war and always constantly looking who will prevail in battle!

I even thought of ways how to improve the reporting of a certain news clip over say BBC or fox haha! 

May Day

May is an unusual month for me. Here's what happened.

After a marathon business meeting in taiwan, came home to catch my sons bday. Since its a loong holiday, I hadnt plan to rest after my trip. So what happened? Arriving friday, I had to rush and spend time with the kids on saturday and drive around town. Sunday is spent crossing the border, driving for 5 hr just to get a good massage!

And lo and behold, on the monday of May 1st, warning bells began to ring. I had elevated BP, felt nauseated and sweating like crazy. I thought I could no longer finish the golf game long planned.

Decided to go home, have a 3 day rest, and at the same time get my wife to do xray and found out about her gallstone problem!

What a time!!! 

 

    

Parents in town

And off the went. They left as fast as they came. Or

So I thought.

In the busyness of my world, I can at least say Ive had the chance to get them to -

1. Visit apples first flagship store in singapore

2. Had to joyride and look for house designs

3. Breakfast of kaya toast

4. Dinner over prata indian food and beehoon!

5. Dinner over vietnamese food!

6. Malling with my sons GF

7. Furniture hunt in ikea and furniture supermall

From the looks of it, seems like the enjoy it to the hilt!

 

    

Perils of travel

Medical issue of my wife and me.

Launch of project at my hometown

Major meetings with the global team

Military graduation of my son

Golf game 

PR application of my son

LTVP renewal of my son

As a result

My road tax payment was delayed

Insurance got delayed

Vehicle inspection delayed