Don't go home

During the early years in college, I collected comic books as an investment when I learned that like other form of arts, its price appreciates. I bought some of it and saw other investing materials from the shop where I bought those comic books. As time went by, my collection evolved and I later collected Sports card - basketball to be exact.

Usually they are bought in packs of 5 to 10 and it is not easy to get good ones and the better players are sold at higher price.

It was a hit and many people in Manila spend fortune to get rare cards of their favorite players. I tried to sell some, earned instantly and I got more interested in it. My collection grew and sold more cards.

When I had a binder full of cards, it just came out of my mind that I haven't seen any shops in our province (Bulacan) that sells cards as such. My mother's owns a store and she agreed on helping me sell them. I was a working student then and I showed my collection and plan to my co-workers and they wished me luck.

It was a Sunday then when I was about to go to the store. I happily left the house and on the other side I saw my uncle. He is a famous in our place as he is a good basketball coach and an influential person. I excitedly showed my collection and told him my plans. After listening to my story, without emotion on his face, he said "No body will buy those".

My excitement turned into sadness and I felt devastated with his words. I just smiled then waved good bye to him and walked… slowly... going to the store. After some paces, I ended up standing in the corner where I can see the store or and our house. My mind went blank for a while.

When I came back to life, I just smiled and told to myself "I'm selling cards". So I went off to the store, posted 2 banners with the words "NBA cards for sale".

After only a month of trading cards, form my profit, I can already often eat at nice restaurant and fast foods chains. That was "cool". Every Sunday, kids and teenagers would ask me for new items. I actually became famous. After 3 months, I was already paying for my monthly lodging fee in Manila. The following semester, I paid for my school fee and I made my mother very happy. I also saved some money in the bank.

My trading in the province ended after only a year when competition came in and more serious businessmen erected shops like the ones in Manila.

Fortunately, I did not dwell on the worldly things that I gained. What I considered to be of highest value is the decision that I made. Without that decision, I would have never earned those.

I can still remember that day when I went on even if there was resistance from a known person. After that, every time I want to do something good and fair and people will say I cannot do it, or if any other resistance comes in, I would tell myself "Glenn, don't go home".

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Book: Fish!

This thin book is a fable about a demotivated and weary people and area in a company and how it was transformed into a happy and inciting one. This is a simple leadership book that can help not only leaders in offices but also in any type of workplace -  and outside of it too!.

The ingredients based from it are:
1. Choose your Attitude.
2. Be present
3. Play.
4. Make their day.

The said ingredients to a better workplace are basic and inside the book are explication of them. On our Toastmasters meeting, "Attitude" was used as a word for the day and what is catchy is when he said that "it is contagious so be careful what you catch". The author made is easy for us to understand the importance of it and that the other 3 are nothing without it.

The first book about leadership that I have read is also a fable - "The Monk who sold his Ferrari" by  Robin Sharma and I will follow other coming fables that is about self help and leadership.

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Dan Brown - Lost Symbol

With 2 hours on the waiting line in Ninoy Aquino International Airport, 5 hour trip from Philippines to Port Moresby (PNG) and more than 8 hours of waiting and transport from Port Moresby to Lae, this book kept me from sleeping. The book hardly left my hands. For me Dan Brown did it again. The pacing was well done that I did not want to miss what happens next.()

Jeffrey Deaver's "Twisted" is the book that triggered me to look for more of its type and this one has twist up to almost the last chapters. In this story, Robert Langdon had problem with deciphering a lot which is quite different from the other 2 bestsellers he had which I believe is good. I am a fan of Sherlock Holmes and he also has his downs meaning he is only human and it bores me if all the time, the protagonist doesn't make mistakes. There are things to be learned which are very true.

Same as with other novels, Dan Brown puts all the trivia he can put and he never ceased to amaze me. And same with the other novels, there are a lot of things that the author considered to be facts so I believe I have to check some of the things that are quite sensitive.

This is his 5th book and I have read all of his novels. This one plus the last 2 - Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code are my favorites. From "The Da Vinci Code" which had a lot of opposition because of what he wrote about the Bible, in this novel, it is the hero.

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Puerto Galera

I have been in Philippines for 2 weeks up to October 3 and at last, me and family had a chance to go to the beach. Puerto Galera is a famous destination for tourist due to its white sand. It is popular especially during summer and Holy week where charges on accommodation goes up to 3 times its normal price. Gio and Gideon did not want to go at first, not until they heard that they can play in the sands. ()

To go to Puerto Galera, we rode a bus going to Batangas Pier. In the Port is a terminal for boats which goes to Puerto Galera and other parts of Mindoro (I am not sure where else the other lines go to). The boat ride is just a bit more than an hour to White Beach Resort. We rode the last trip (5pm) so we were disembarked at Muelle and we were sent to White Beach after.

Muelle Port

We only stayed at Sea Jewel Resort for 2 nights as Gio and Gideon cannot afford to absent in their classes. We used all the time we had to enjoy. We went out on Friday night but there wasn't much shows as there aren't much guests. We hired a boat on Saturday and we are almost out the whole day doing island hopping on the area where corals are. It was the first time that we did snorkeling with nice coral views. They enjoyed our stay and that made my holidays.

I of course have my camera with me and took photos of my family and the beautiful views and below is my favorite of all shots.

For other pictures of Puerto Galera click 1 and 2.

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Toastmasters

I am fortunate to be a part of the Toastmasters International Club as part of training provided by K. K. Kingston Ltd. I was not a first choice but I really wanted to have training on public speaking that I made my way to become a member of this club.

The Toastmasters International is a company sponsored club which carries the goal of improving communication and leadership skills thru public speaking. Here in Papua New Guinea, it is currently the only group as the first one has just been dissolved. It is listed in District 69 together with Australia and New Zealand.

I have read Dale Carnegie's public speaking book and other communication books. I have also tried most of the things that are written in them and have made good progress in communicating with my subordinates and to my superiors as well. I know that I have a lot more to learn when it comes to communication and needs more confidence in speaking in front of other people.

When I learned that there was a club formed for such, I told myself that I have to become a part of it. I just saw that getting there will already be a challenge and I made my way by asking the president on how to become a member. Though I was not given attention, it did not stop me from trying more and my eagerness prevailed.

I seek for other way such as asking the members. Experiencing my enthusiasm, a close friend of mine, Leah, invited me to be her guest. I was her guest for 2 sessions and I can only observe. From their meeting agendas, I already saw how it can build confidence in people that I told them that I want to become a member. Fortunately, most of the people in that group are my friends so they voted me to become a member.

On August 28, 2010, I had my first day as a Toastmaster and I had fun while learning. I had my opportunities to speak and with the studies that I already made on communication, I performed a step ahead from the beginners. I knew that this club will be my way to more development. Their website is: www.toastmastersd69.org.

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Bruce

While driving on our way to Snake Valley River last 14 June 10, I just can’t stop but ask my friend Bruce if he is very calm. I admire him because he is the type that no problem can make him speak a note higher than his usual tone. While he teaches me how to run off-road, he bravely narrated his story. As I expected, he was not like that before. In his terms, it is because of tragedies and very valuable lessons he learned in life.()

He was an impatient person before and observing what is happening in his life… he made his change. Same with me, his kids are also factors for the change he made. We would not do things that our kids would copy. These are the start of our 4 hour chat, that is, we drove for 4 hours which was supposed to be only 2 hours if not for the muddy road on the cliff of the mountain.

Nelson Mandela which is one of my current subjects and I am trying to learn more of him. I did not realize that he is a South African and that Mr. Mandela was a President of his before. I learned a summary of Mandela’s life and some insight from a person that was led by him.

He is also a good reader and I asked his favorites. He said two books that I would like are “The Key” and “1423” which he said is a Chinese story of how they sailed around the world… approximately 75 years before Columbus did. I have yet to read those. Another thing in common to us is personal development that is why he said “the Key” would be a great read for me. Aside from off-road driving, talking to him throughout the journey is very enlightening. I really had fun with that very long journey.

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Off-road Driving

Our GM Mike Kingston invited us on the trip to Snake Valley River, still here in PNG. He had an invite from Hon. Sam Basil of Morobe Province. Aside from going to another place, what gained my interest is that the invitation says only 4X4 vehicles can climb this area.()

The time of departure was7:30 on 14 June 2010. I have been awake on the night before it as I have been with my friends, having fun playing cards. I just thought of sleeping on our way as I will just use a spare seat of those with the ideal cars for the trip. I only had minutes to prepare and after that, my co-worker came with his car and he said he is not coming. I drove the car to the meeting place and still thought of transferring to a different car. I really don’t want to drive knowing I haven’t slept for more that 24 hours straight.

Then there is this manager, who I know that can help me – Bruce, who works on the other side of PNG, also with K.K.Kingston, I just tried to ask him which car he will use and learning that he will just be a passenger, I asked if he can drive us, at least until I get some rest. Hearing my story, he said it is not right for me to drive. So he did and I slept most of the way. After probably more than 2 hours of resting, I said I am good and I can take it from there. I thought that he will go with be with his wife when I said that and fortunately he stayed.

When I drove and I forgot that to consider that I have never driven in a dusty rough road before. He found some weak spots in my driving. I have never driven in a terrain as such and I am doing it as it is on paved road. He gave me some tips on our first stop and he was happy with my quick improvement the next time I drove.

On the last stretch to our destination, we got tied up in this very steep road. I had problem with it so he easily drove after changing the other shift stick of the 4x4 car - something that I wanted eagerly to learn.

After the very relieving journey we had, we headed back home. He asked if I need his help. I said I can drive but hope he can hop in to our car because help might be needed. Then after that, before I asked him, he said he will teach me how to use the “low range”. I got excited that I did not think of the long drive we are about to take.

Rough road was fine, but he just gave me some tips on riding in a road on cliff like the one we took. It was the first time I drove on a one way road on a corniche. We used the low range and told me how to it works, it just became semi-automatic, but the main thing is that the breaks should not be pressed. I had some mistakes, he saw it, and reminded me that it is very dangerous on narrow roads and most especially at the side of a mountain.

After some practice and turns, we had to pass muddy and narrow road which made driving more interesting. And there is where these low ranges are very useful. I also had time when I slid on mud and he told me what to do.

Many people who came to that long trip were so tired after but I was pumped up learning and having this new experience. Good thing I did not rest the night before.

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American Idol 2010

This year is the first time that I have followed the very famous American Idol starting from its Final 24 contestant. Many says that there aren't much good talent this year but I find the whole show entertaining, especially with the comments coming from the judges. Ryan's hosting is also a hit that I find myself some times mimicking him. ()

As a person who has subordinates and give advice, what the judges instill to the contestants are sometimes relevant on cases I have with my personnel or friends that I had chances on using words that they use to the contestants. I sometimes sound like either Randy or Simon as I talk to them. Ellen is hilarious and though she cannot give technical advice, she looks at a different angle and gives jokes that are well timed.

Though the judges are more often in conflict, when it comes to voice and performance, I also try to follow their advice to the contestants and I believe that I myself improves in my singing - though I more often do it in the bathroom only, and that is my opinion only. The famous "you have to own it" and "you're all over the place", are things that comes into mind when I sing and make sure I don't violate them.

My bet Siobhan left early and she would have made it farther should she listen to the judges. Her shouting sounds great at first, fine with the second but Simon hated it on the next ones. They had good advices gives to her but were not followed.

I haven't been playing guitar for a long time until Tim played "I can't help falling in love with you". His plucking is superb and his voice is perfect for his voice. I got more leverage when the final four all played guitar.

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Rob Libbis

Rob Libbis is a consultant/auditor from NCS Australia who helps us with ISO documentation. I had a chance to talk to him as I had to drive them (him and my friend Leah) off during lunch time. He is experienced and matured. When given this job to accompany a person especially a person of other race, I have no hesitation as I know I can learn something, and sure enough, I heard many things that are worthwhile. ()

What he has that I am really keen on learning is how to gain interest of the audience when he speaks in front. He has to do it for training purposes. He had given me some points. Though I can speak with people, and I have done mini-seminars myself, I know it will be very different if your audiences are not your subordinates. He had simple tips that would really help should I encounter talking to a bigger crowd and outside my own organization. He also is interested in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic programming) which is a topic that I have been reading and practicing for some time now. He finds it very useful and so do I. We also shared life experiences and fortunately, I can relate to most of them. As usual, I ask foreign friend of their culture. I love reading cultures of other nation but I found it best to be heard directly from a real person.

Day after day, we would talk and the conversation gets better and a lot of non-sense but funny things surfaced afterwards. It was a bit formal on the first 2 days and after that, we spoke in a very casual way. Aside from the things that he encounters in his home land and as he worked to other parts of the world, there are a lot of things he said that he learned as we grow older. I told him that, that is the reason I read books - to gain knowledge and so I would not have to wait to grow old before I learn those lessons in life. We only have an hour a day at lunch time and our conversation is so nice that time flies so fast.

It was a relieving week and I look forward to his next stint in PNG this June. If not at lunch time, I know I can ask him questions at work hours but with queries that are work related that can make life easier as I drain in me some of his experiences in documentation and auditing.

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Ninoy Aquino

When I was young, I remember seeing this guy on TV speaking in front of a big crowd. I did not absorb most of what he said except for a joke in it  and since then, every time I read or hear the name Ninoy, the lines in bold just comes out of my mind :

”As you very well know the Japanese have a difficulty pronouncing their R's. Manila becomes Manira. And so this Japanese gentleman stood up and said, My dear Piripino pipor, you are very raki, and I consider he said the Filipino people the most raki in Asia. And the people were of course surprised and they wanted to know why they are very lucky. He said you know why you are raki? You have a president who robs you, and you have a first lady who robs you more!”

Just yesterday, I saw chunks of this speech at National Geographic’s presentation of Ninoy Aquino’s assassination and the investigation that was done. Seeing that, I then searched for his speech and learned that it took place in Los Angeles in 1981. I believe it was aired on Philippine TV after the reign of the dictator.Videos are available on Youtube and the website http://hawaksatun-og.webs.com has a written article of this speech.

I was amazed by the wisdom he has and powerful words he used. He looked at things in so mature and sincere way. He also has a great sense of humor. And even with his wisdom, he is humble enough to say that he still seeks for sage advice. A very wise man indeed. I am a fan of wise people and he is probably one to follow.

Simply amazing, he would have been a president of the Philippines and with his bravery, he was assassinated then people woke up, fought and had freedom back. Now I have more lines from that speech to think about in addition to the joke he uttered almost three decades ago.

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Contract Ending

I have worked for almost 3 years in K.K.Kingston Ltd, Papua New Guinea and through those years, many good things took place. These are years where I put into practice all the things that I have learned from previous jobs, trainings and of course from books that I have read.()

With those years, I have improved in communicating. I have been braver facing big complaints and giving people answers that can solve their problem. It is already automatic that when I hear a problem, answer(s) come in an instant and the level of answer I give them is much better than how I give advice before working in PNG.

I have moved out of my comfort zones in many areas of work and life. There are things that I never knew I can do until I tried them and made possible. I was very cautious before that all moves have to be calculated and before I knew it, opportunity is lost. Now, I walk into the paths where people say it is too risky and learn what is in there.

I have stretched my patience and now can easily accept things the way they are. I have practiced more of putting myself on other’s shoes instead of judging them for what they are doing or saying.

I can make decisions a lot faster now. Knowing systems, patterns and its people here in PNG make planning easier.

After those years, I believe I am mentally and emotionally stronger now. I have met people that are experienced and wise. The feeling is very different when we just listen to what others have done right; and when we do it, thus also reaping the benefits in it. I also have been thru bigger problems where I gained experiences.

Still I know that there are a lot of things I still don’t know yet and have more years of learnings to come. I consider what happened to those years to be big leap for me in terms of leadership and maturity.

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Next Job

Luke is one of the first subordinates I had here in PNG. He was our maintenance co-ordinator and worked on our computerized maintenance management system/software. After working with me for a year, a job opening came, still here in the same company but suits him more because it is his course from college – IT. I had small chats with him all along and just lately he told me that he is leaving and this time to a different company which offers a lot better than the current one can give.()

I had a chance to ask him about it and he felt guilty saying that he is leaving. I saw myself in him in this situation and told him that in Philippines, the first thing I do when I start working in a company is to look for the next one. This is a good strategy for me as it helped me study everything that I can whenever I can. Looking for the next one, I have accepted additional jobs that are beyond my boundaries and learned different aspects of the business. With it, I did not get comfortable no matter how good the company and its benefits are. I also did not get bored while in the factory as I have used all the free time I had checking out things that I don’t know yet.

As a Plant Engineer here in PNG, this is where I have used and is using all the knowledge gained from the Philippine companies I have been to. Here, I am also bounded by contract that I have to at least finish. It is more of the management stuffs that I am gaining more while working.

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Stock Market Lessons

When it comes to stock market many talks about Technical and financial analysis. I am still a newbie (just started Nov. 2008) in this field, but having heard, watched and read a lot of articles regarding them, and there are things that experts would not forget to share. They say at least one of these basics thru their interviews and for me, these are the best things that stock market has taught me:()

Be patient. It is better to hold on to your money than just invest on any stocks. I am trying to learn everything I can so that I won't end up just getting a deal closed. Buy high and sell low, that is all we can get out of Philippines stock market as we don’t have much options. Market goes up and down so if I did not chose a stock that goes up, I'll just wait for the next opportunity.

Don’t be greedy. When market goes up, tendency is we wait until it goes up and up… suddenly it goes down big time and we would become depressed. The thing is that we should have a target that is attainable and be happy selling it when it is already reached and don’t be affected should it go higher. Looking at stock market history, prices go up and down so I would not wait and sell them when I have what I wanted.

Admit mistakes. Either you sold something and then have a new high or if you picked a stock that you though is at bottom then goes lower, best thing is to admit you made a mistake and then cut the losses. The main thing is that we should learn from every mistake we make. I believe that we should not focus on just one deal we make but we should look at your whole portfolio. When one you’re your “picks” increased price and did not buy them when low, forget it, move on and look for other deals.

All these thing aren’t just for Stock market but of course every part of our lives. If we can master these things I believe wewill not just end up being a good investor but also a better person.

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Book #7: Men, Women and Relationships

One of the books that I blogged about is about John Gray’s “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”. On one of my stints to Philippines for holidays, I have found another book of him and hoped that it is as good and helpful as the first one that I have read. While in PNG, I have read more than half of the book until I became busy that I had to set it aside.<>

Thanks to the Tsunami alert due to Chile's devastating earthquake, I have to spend the rest of the day at home. I looked for my notebook where I list down my goals, doing so I saw this book with the bookmark on it.

I checked where I left and found that the next chapter is “Symptoms of Stress”. The previous parts are also related to stress but this chapter has the examples to situations that I have been experiencing and found the reasons to the issues I have been dealing with for several years now. I believe that this chapter alone is a good help for partners and also for those who mingles with the opposite sex. I said that because this is where arguments and problem starts and are things that in my experience are hard to communicate.

Almost all parts of the books got my interest and it is like the continuation of the first book which emphasizes difference between male and female.

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Being happy

Almost every morning, I have been saying “it is a good day today” and all things either goes fine or I won’t be affected should problems arise. Lately, I have been smiling and sometimes singing in the factory while walking around. I thought nobody would notice but many did. They became curious why I am happy.<>

My answer is that I really have tasks to finish, problems to solve and lots of goals to accomplish. Instead of being in panic or be stressed, I tried to fight it and turn them into what they are seeing as sign of happiness. Simply, it is a choice I made. I don’t want to frown, so I smile. I don’t want to be angry or depressed because of the situation so I just sing and let it all out.

The good thing with it is that they (signs of happiness) are contagious that when they (factory personnel) would also smile when I make those acts or gestures. Especially with my subordinates who see me as jolly person, they also work happily and work better without the pressure.

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Stock Market

Having read Robert Kiyosaki’s books, I gained interest in his game, Cash Flow 101, which he encourages people to play to learn how to be rich - a goal that I have as I want to help other people. A friend of mine have one and I enthusiastically played it when she invited us. I have gained a lot from it and can win after some time, which is why I entered the real stock market. I tried Port Moresby Stock exchange (POMSoX) in PNG and later Philippine Stock exchange (PSE).<>

Though without much knowledge in it, I started trading on November of 2008 and earned some thru my small initial investment in PSE. I thought it is as simple as picking stocks then wait for luck to come and earn from it. After few months, I then thought that I am a good picker ‘coz all of my stock positions earned. All I did was selling when price of stocks goes up then look for another. I doubled my initial investment after a year and happily wanted to put more in it. I thought it is that easy that I became too lazy to study the details.

After some months, my lucky picking did not work anymore and I lost almost all the earnings I previously had in just 2 months. Checking where I went wrong, I studied more and found out that I was just lucky in a sense that all stocks’ price were at the bottom when I started investing.

When the stock market stabilized, there is where my great journey began. I read lots of articles and watched tutorials. I tried to learn everything I can that is involved in stock market and trading. I have a lot more to learn and as expert say, 10 years or less experienced traders are still amateurs. At least I am now recovering from the loss that I had.

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Debts

Getting an expat job, I have been fortunate to have erased my debts. I am happy that I am in a better position and have been paying school fees for my kids and college plans which aren’t from loans which are how I paid them while working on my previous company. Way back, I really hated debts and would use all my physical power to work overtime to pay them early. As I get paid, the next thing in my mind is to pay my loans the soonest.<>

While we are on a trip, I asked Joecy to practice some things I learned (from reading and from the experienced ones) for her business, one of them is asking for [long] term of payment for her dental business which means that we have to borrow from the supplier. This is a very hard thing to do for her as it is to me, but I told her that it is a key to earning a bit more. I told her that she can use the money she has for slow moving items and have the fast moving items be paid after 30 days and just issue a check. I told her that she can earn more if she has more stocks and she can only get it by getting some leverage.

Now that I have gained a lot from Robert Kiyosaki’s writings, I now look for ways to get debts, Joecy reminded me of how I hated debts. I explained to her about the two types of debts which are good and bad debts. Robert explains it simply as good debts makes you rich and bad debts make you poor. In doubt that she listened, I even asked her to repeat what I said which she recited it smiling.

This is just a small deal to make but is very hard for someone like her and me that are inexperienced to this stuff. After much motivation, she promised to ask the supplier on this or any options possible for us to get help.

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Book #6: Winning

I bought a book 2 years ago and had no time reading it. It was until my January 2010 holidays that I decided to read it as I have to wait for the International flight going to Philippines from Port Moresby, here in Papua New Guinea. I have heard of the name Jach Welch but never knew what he is made of.<>

I never knew how good a manager Jack Welch is until I read this book. The title is "Winning" and it is about the main reason why he is very famous - Management. It would have helped me a lot as it is now should I have read it years ago. As Warren Buffet commented, "No other management book will ever be needed." This may be an exaggeration but I believe that the knowledge herein plus experience while following them can take you far. He also answered a lot of questions that other managers ask him during his seminars that needs time to be answered.

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