ST & LT Goal

Goal setting should be an eternal exercise. When I was in college, I dreamed of owning a Daihatsu Feroza by age 20. I didn't meet the Feroza goal and got my own ride which we bought out of our own blood sweat and tears around age 26. I'm turning 36 this year and since our first car, we've had 4 car replacements, two of which are brand new. That's an average of a new ride (not necessary brand new) every 2.5 years. While I didn't actually meet my Feroza goal, critical to the experience was the goal setting and planning factor.

ST
ST may mean a dozen things, for generations 90s movie buff ST means Sex Trip, for presidential aspirant Manny Villar, ST means Sipag at Tiyaga but for this blog entry, it actually means Short Term goal. My short term goal is to Learn Chinese (Mandarin). Why? Aside from actually being 1/4 Chinese and having strong Chinese features, learning the language is a critical tool for business. I actually got a 50% discount from my full blooded Chinese surgeon just for saying that "I'm Chinese, don't speak the language, but plan to do so." I reckon he would have given me a 75% discount if I spoke the language or even operated on me for free.

LT
Hearing the acronym LT, only one thing comes to mind - Lorna Tolentino. She's the Filipina actress married to DaBoy, Filipino action star Rudy Fernandez. For this entry, LT means Long Term and for me my LT goal is to retire comfortably in Tarlac City at age 55. To quantify it further, we should be earning in the neighborhood of p200th per month in passive income from various sources. That covers the financial aspect. For the mental aspect, I should be teaching any management course at least 2 times a week at the local university. For the social aspect, I should have my own foundation which focuses on granting college scholarships to qualified students interested in an entrepreneurial course. Lastly for the spiritual aspect, I should be a lay minister.

How's that for goal setting? I'm nowhere near my LT goals but what's important is I start laying the groundwork for my 20 year timeline. As to my ST goal, enrollment is within the next 2 months. Zai - Jian!

Ayala Land @ Fifteen!

“You keep dreaming, Ayala Land keeps building. Fifteen years later, our vision remains clear: We want to build only good things for Filipinos. Thus, we keep innovating by building not just houses but communities and homes for every life stage. Not just malls but entire lifestyles. Not just offices but real estate solutions for corporations. As long as people continue dreaming, we’ll continue building.”

Six months after purchasing on installment a condo unit in Avida Makati West, three months after the Glorietta 2 'bomb blast' incident and one month after some passengers got stuck at The Columns Ayala Avenue (TCAA) elevator, the BIG QUESTION is if Ayala Land Incorporated (ALI) has learned from their recent experiences. In an earlier blog entry, I mentioned that ALI is in a lose - lose situation regardless of the G2 investigation result; if it’s a terrorist attack, then how come they were able pass through G2s “tough” security? If it’s a faulty sewage system, then that’s reflective of their property management (or mismanagement). And the most recent TCAA resident ordeal which I think is NOT an act of terrorism, have our fingers pointing to property (mis) management once again.

A financial magazine says that the property boom is in play and will continue until Y2010. Furthermore, it said that some of the players include Ayala Land Inc., Megaworld Properties and Robinson’s Land Inc. with ALI leading the pack. The Avida Makati West project’s expected turnover is fourth quarter of Y2010. There’s ample time to react and get your act together. Small time investors like us don’t want to deal with problems with security, elevators conking out and a stinky sewage system. That’s the prime reason why we choose to invest in Ayala Land Inc.

GMAs Burj Al Arab adventure

Hear ye! Hear ye! Our President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is staying in Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai. She's in Dubai to say HI to our OFWs.

GMA TRIP
GMA is in Dubai for a business trip. Officially, she's looking for investors and unofficially she just wants to know how our bagong bayani (OFWs) are doing. She's also there to grace the launching of LandBank's remit business in which SMT is a critical partner.

BURJ AL ARAB
Burj Al Arab hotel is in Jumeirah beach, Dubai. It stands on an artificial island in the eastern part of the city. It is a world famed 7 star hotel which is ranked 10th most expensive in the world. It is considered the world’s tallest hotel at 1,053 feet. Their flagship royal suite cost $28,000 a night. I hope that already includes breakfast else that would be a rip off!

Report says she flew there from Switzerland with a battalion of cabinet members, lawmakers and local government officials in tow. My estimate is that if she has a party of 20 people, easily she'll be spending P10 million at the hotel. At P10 million, I guess that qualifies as the most expensive HI.

Watch NBA or Bust!

When I was in the US in '06, one of the goals that I set was to watch an NBA game. The trip was in May so it was actually post-season.

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STAPLES CENTER, LA

That time, the LA Lakers were in the playoff lording it over the Phoenix Suns until they ran out of gas and missed the conference finals. My schedule in SOCAL was just too tight as I only had 5 days to check out the dozen of touristy places I set out to see and meet families and friends. The consolation was I saw the Staples Center and took pictures while on mobile.

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MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NY

New York Knicks had a bum team that year (and they still do) reason why they didn't make it to the playoffs. While in their homecourt, I found time to check out the historic Madison Square Garden. Actually, everytime I see the Garden, it reminds me of the Matthew Broderick movie Godzilla because he used the arena as a nesting place. That's one BIG nest.

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TD WATERHOUSE CENTER, ORL

On my list of places to see was the homecourt of the Orlando Magic. While in Florida, Miami Heat was battling it out with Dallas Mavs for the 2006 NBA World Champ trophy with the heat emerging as winner. If the Magic opted NOT to trade Shaq in 96, maybe, just maybe they might be slugging it out with the Mavs instead.

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Unfortunately, I was not able to watch an NBA game for 2 valid reasons: 1- Orlando to Miami is about 300 miles or a 4 hour drive and 2- an NBA finals ticket cost $800. Heck, that's almost 1/2 the cost of my airfare from Manila to LA! Cable TV was free so that did the job and I watched Miami Heat win their first NBA crown. Maybe watching the NBA during my first visit to the US wasn't meant to be. At any rate, I have a 5 year multiple entry tourist visa so I hope to watch an NBA game within that timeframe.

The Beauty and the Book

What's the advantage of the internet over a book? Convenience and Cost.

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I read a magazine article once that if you're the type of person who buys second hand items, a book is first on the list of OK TO BUY AS SECOND HAND. The last on the list is clothes and needless to say, undergarments. I bought a book called Lonely Planet - Los Angeles yesterday at Buy-the-Book in our fave mall Waltermart. It cost merely P149 compared to the P1000 price tag if bought in Powerbooks. That's a power price indeed. It's practically the same stuff except that the book is no longer a virgin and it's 1/6th of the price. The REAL downside of it is that the cook is copyrighted Y2001. Though half a decade has passed, I reckon the data would not have changed significantly except probably the admission fees.

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CONVENIENCE

The power of the internet is: information at your fingertips. It goes without saying that there is no information about Florida in the LA book. Nor the location of the branches of Ripley's Believe it or Not across the US. That's where the net comes in handy. Throw in the ease and quickness of updating the website data, assuming the organization is as responsible as they should be, then you have a potent information tool. While on mobile, internet browsing is easy as 1-2-3 on selected internet capable handsets. The internet is really God's gift to our generation and future generations. The problem now is the plan b or a dozen "what ifs" which the infallible book like the Lonely Planet can fill in. It has things to see & do, places to stay, places to eat, entertainment and shopping guides and Dora's favorite, the map! And you it doesn't need a signal or a battery to give you the information you need.

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COST

The book that I bought cost P149. I opted to buy it over merienda - a roll of beef shawarma, a can of coke light and my fave toblerone flavor ice cream. Yum yum! In less than 24 hours, I've practically completed reading it but I'm pretty sure it will be used a hundred times more by me and even my children. The 360 page book contains unquantifiable information at the fraction of the cost to access the internet. I'm paying P500 per month on our unlimited braodband connection on our desktop PC however can't bring the information in our car. While mobile, I can access the net using my phone for P20 per hour. After under 8 hours, I would have attained Return on Investment on my old new book compared to mobile internet.

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Back in college, I used to be a book worm devouring books like fiction, inspirational and sports. As a professional, I've progressed to management, health and autobiographies. I still have the urge to buy books that delight my palate. I guess once a bookworm, you'll forever be one.

Infamous Wowowilly and his 430

The Wowowee superstar Willie Revillame is in the limelight again, this time due to his passion. No, I'm talking about women, that was 2 controversies ago when he split up with his model wife. I'm also not referring to his TV show entitled Wowowee which is most definitely not co-hosted by Joey de Leon. I'm talking about our common passion - cars.

Last time I heard, he was driving a Range Rover and a Porsche 911. I'm pretty sure he changes cars as often as he changes partner or even faster. Talks from the grapevine says he co-owns an imported car dealership along Wilson St. in Greenhills. He was news material once again this week for driving a Jaguar and Ferrari F430.

The Jag is plateless so it might have been purchased from his namesake Willy Soong's dealership. Willie knows his cars so he definitely won't get an X-type. The news didn't specify the model but I surmise that would be at least an S-type and I won't be surprised if it's an XK.

The red hot Italian sports car a Ferrari F430 is as controversial as the driver. The F430 is said to have mis-declared custom taxes. Imagine paying only P1 million tax on a P20 million peso car. And what's dubious is the fact that the car was registered in Cebu. In case you see it on the streets of Metro Manila, you won't miss it because the plate number is 430.

Tsk! Tsk! Some guys have all the luck, bad luck that is.

Love ko Busko

December 30, 2007 is just an ordinary day for every Juan de la Cruz but for the graduates of Don Bosco Technical Institute of Tarlac Batch 1989, it was a special day because it was our annual mini reunion. It started in Y2004 when the only Salesian priest in our batch Father Joel Camaya had this idea of celebrating New Year’s day mass at his hometown in Don Bosco Tarlac. At first, there were only a handful of attendees, not more than 7 if I recall right and through the years the number has grown. This year, the figure jumped to 33 boys and 5 girls from our counterpart school College of the Holy Spirit.

Intermarriage
My third year high school prom date Ada Maida C. is now married to my batchmate Rico B., who used to be the boyfriend of my good friend Rachel F. Another batchmate Edgar S. is married to Pinky P. (CHS batch 1989) who used to be my wife’s officemate in PLDT. There’s another one in the pipeline, I have to further mask their identities, as I’m not privy to the status of their relationship. Another batch mate and friend ex-Brother Malutu is seeing Doktora O.B. Gyne. Doctora attended to my wife when she had her executive check up in a hospital in Ortigas. This is the law of connection at work for you.

Professionals
These naughty boys are now grown ups! During the reunion, the spotlight was tuned to the professionals who were raking big bucks such as OFWs, migrants, doctors, politicians and stars (or at least married to stars). I reckon half of our batch mates are based abroad or at least 40%. Like most Filipino migrants, they are either in North America (Canada or USA), Middle East countries (Bahrian, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, et al.) and progressive Asian countries like Japan and Singapore. As of last count, we have 6 doctor batchmates. Their specialization escapes my mind right now. Rounding up the batch of big shots is a City Councilor and the better half of GMA 7 star Ruby Rodriguez - Aquino.

Prexy Says
The current Don Bosco Tarlac batch president is Tikyo. On my timepiece (which I rarely wear), we’ve had 3 batch presidents but Tikyo’s the only visionary among the crop. His grand plan includes: preparation for 20th batch reunion in Y2009, funding for batch activities (in Y2009 and Y2014), batch communication and harmony. These may sound like BIG PLANS but like any plan, it should start from somewhere.

In the last four years that the mini reunion has been conducted, what’s noticeable is the compounding number of attendees. What started with 7 attendees has grown to 33 which accounts for 28% of the whole graduating batch of 1989. The expectation is we will hit 40% this Y2008. This will be a good preamble for the Y2009 planned batch reunion where the target is 60% attendance. Social status aside, it is good to see you guys again.

PBB season 18 : Pusoy Bonding ng mga Boys

The Celebrity PBB season 2 big four has been identified in its show last night. In the list are Racer Gaby, Wide bodied Will, Red hot Riza and Rural boy Ruben. The big night is this coming Saturday. My forecast is the leader of the bugoy squad Ruben will emerge as no. 1, followed by Riza, then Will and last will be Gaby.

A different PBB unfolded last December 30 and it's been an annual affair for the last 18 years. The Pusoy Bonding with the Boys with main characters mountain biker Dylac, globe trotter Tikyo, family man John and I.T. EL. These quadro bunch shares a common passion and that is playing poker. Thank God they're not playing strip poker as that would have been gross. Just poker with a few bets on the side to keep it interesting.

It started in 1990 a year after graduating from high school at Don Bosco Tarlac. These four friends had a number of things in common: playing basketball, drinking to death, enchanting women (at least most of them), alaskahan to name a few things but gambling 'with a cause' was what kept them together through these years.

In the almost 2 decades of playing poker usually during christmas season break, beyond normal scenarios occurred such as playing poker until the wee hours in the morning (as in 7AM the ff. day) and getting drunk a number of times. Once, we played poker while attending a friend's relative’s wake. In all occasions, the big winner IS ALWAYS globe trotter Tikyo.

Although there were years when we missed playing poker as a group because one of the members went on AWOL and went on a soul searching mode, we easily got back together and renewed our bonding. In the game of Russian Poker, having a "four of a kind" is considered luck and with this quadro bunch of friends where I belong, I consider myself lucky.

DYK: In Russian Poker, the maximum number of players in this game is 4. There are no wild cards. Deal 13 cards to each player. Each player makes 3 poker hands, a bottom, a middle, and a top. The top hand is made with 3 cards, and the other 2 hands have 5 cards. The bottom hand should be the strongest hand.

My TV

Just like a car that you have to change ideally every 5 years, I decided to upgrade my trusty phone from a Nokia N70 to a Nokia N77. It was actually planned because my N70 will be celebrating its 2nd year on February.

The requirements are crystal clear: data connectivity for internet, group texting and acceptable resolution (2 megapixel) camera. My celfone hunting produced a number of Nokia models but what stood out was the N77. It met ALL my requirements BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE...aside from getting it on installment through our company's employee benefit (12 months to pay at zero interest) the phone was DBV-H ready. In layman's term, it had a myTV service. Still Greek sounding? You can watch TV on it. There, I think I got the message across. So the N77 is a phone cum digital camera cum TV.

And what's next on the technology roadmap? A phone with a digicam, TV, microwave and aircon?

1-1-08 : An alternative way to usher in the New Year!

Time flies especially while you are having extreme fun while living life. The Y2007 was relatively a busy year for me in general and my marker is the 2 notebooks that I fully consumed. In Y2006, I only used one and it was only half filled. This year look like a 3 notebook year for me.

The date 1-1-8 is significant because it is my son B5's 'birthdate' in a sense. He was born January 18 so expressed in numeral, that would read 1-1-8. That's the main reason why we made sure to get 1-1-8 as our car's plate number. He'll be turning 10 years old on his birthday.

While the son is turning a decade old, his old man is turning 36 years. The second reason why Y2008 is significant is because it is the Year of the Rat which is considered my lucky year. How lucky is lucky? Do I set luck targets or standards or just leave it to fate? A former big boss once shared that "Luck comes to the prepared mind."

So how did WE usher in the New Year? We slept at 8p and woke up at 8a. A sign of a sleepy year you say? I view it as greeting the new year well rested so we can survive the grueling 365 days and come up a better person. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!