Forty last March 15, 2012

Blogger.com has a cool feature called scheduled posting. While this blog entry was started a few days before my 39th birthday and completed just before my 40th birthday, it is expected to be posted on my 50th birthday. How COOL is that?!?!

While every waking day is a blessing for me. I actually feel that I’m just “extending” my tenure on earth but will do all means (religious, financial, psychological and emotional) to see my children through by providing the basics (food, shelter and clothing), quality education (no less than DLSU, ADMU or UP) for them and some caprices (toys, electronic gadgets, local & international trips).

The purpose of this blog entry is to document 40 highlights of my 4 decades of existence. Here goes:

1. My first international travel was when I was 10 years old. It was in HongKong and we stayed at my Aunt LST’s flat in Tin Hei Tung, Tung What Tzu Chi near Victoria Park. I recall we frequented Victoria Park, the Wellcome Supermarkets and visited Ocean Park.
2. I had my first girlfriend when I was 15 years old. 
3. I finished ½ of my elementary and my high school in Don Bosco Technical Institute - Tarlac. Much as I would have wanted to adorn myself with academic or technical awards, I could only muster a Best in Conduct award.
4. I finished my undergrad college degree at De La Salle University.
5. I got a job right after college, as in working even before my graduation March. I spent 4 years in college so I wasted no time looking for a job. My first job was in Smart Comm., Inc. as a Customer Care Officer and my basic salary then was P6,000 per month.
6. I was promoted to Supervisor at a young age of 23 yrs. old. My family was very proud because I was already handling Tarlac branch that time.
7. The year I turned 25 was the year I met and married the love of my life, my wife JML. While it was a whirlwind romance and passed through a lot of trials and still going through trials, we celebrated our 14 wedding anniversary last June.
8. The following year, B5 was born. He was the first grandchild on the Lacsamana side, the 5th grandchild on the Manalang side and the first great grandchild on the Lacsamana side.
9. I was 27 years old when we bought our first second (or was it third hand) hand car. The car was a 1992 Toyota Corolla XE sedan.
10. I was 28 years old when I started my Master of Management and completed it after my 31st birthday.
11. I was 29 yrs. old when  I was promoted to a full pledged manager. That is after being OIC (Jr Mgr) handling the Central Luzon region for 2 ½ years. This was also the year we experienced owning our first brand new car – a 2002 Toyota Revo GLX, an asian utility vehicle.
12. I was 31 years old when we had a epic mountain bike ride. The ride was called Mount Samat (Pilar) Bataan ride. We started around 7AM and finished at 4PM. That was a tough one. I’ve been mountain biking since 1994 and BMX’d during my teen years. During my mt. biking peak days, we rode close to 3000 kilometers per year.
13. Our youngest child MC was born on my 32nd year of existence. She was the second grandchild on the Lacsamana side, the 8th grandchild on the Manalang side and the second great grandchild on the Lacsamana side.
14. From years 2004 to 2006, the South Luzon region was adjudged Best Region while in years 2003 and 2004, my teams got the Usage Award (Highest percentage attainment vs. target)
15. At age 34, I had the privilege to visit the land of milk and honey, USA. During my first visit, I had the chance to visit the ff. states: California (LA, SFO, Irvine & San Diego), New York, New Jersey and Florida (DeLand, Orlando, Daytona & Kissemmee).
16. I joined the 7 digit asset club based on SALN at age 35. Was it late or early? It guess it depends on who’s reading this.
17. When I was 35, to broaden my experience horizon, I ran and won as Director for the Company’s cooperative. My term was for 2 years and opted not to run again because of the change in workload. My father must have been proud because he was a long time director for a hometown cooperative.
18. While we purchased our own condo unit at age 36, it wasn’t until I turned 39 when we transferred to our spanking new domain.
19. I was 36 years old when I lost my father due to a stoke. He was based in the US with my mother so we had to fly to the US unscheduled to be with him for the last time. We held his hand as he breath his last breathe in a hospice in Florida.
20. The year I turned 37, I experienced climbing two mountains- Mount Pinatubo (elevation: 5,725 ft) in February and Mount Banahaw (elevation: 7,080 ft) in October. Around mid that year, we toured the Ilocos Region with my family. It was my second time to see the region.
21. I was 38 years old when I first saw the Land of the Rising Sun. Well technically t’was my second time since we had a transit break in Nagoya when I went to the US. I was with my family during that vacation and we saw the ff. Japan cities: Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe.
22. On the same year, a photo of mine of Bamban bridge taken from the Bamban grotto was used in a photo exhibit in Singapore Philatelic Museum. The exhibit was for a cause and the theme was about bridges.
23. Two weeks after my 39th birthday, I was moving to my 9th job function in SMT and the first time to join a new department. This is only my second department in 16 years, from JYS to KCC.
24. Four months after my 39th birthday, we transferred to our own home. It was such a joy. Finally, a place to call our own.
25. My birth month in 2012 was activity filled. March 12 marked my 17th year in Smart, I celebrated by 40th natal day on March 15 and I became a new employee in PLDT effective March 16.


-last entry #25, posted May 31, 2012-

PLAY PLATES

The LAST DANCE, a documentary abt Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls' dynasty run in the 90s, will be airing its last pair of episodes on May 19 on Netflix. A number of His Airness' sportscars were featured in the film such as a 1990 Chevrolet Corvette, a 1992 Ferrari Testarossa and a 1994 Porsche 911. Some of the "cheap" cars featured as well were a Range Rover & a Toyota Land Cruiser. No surprise on his auto haul as the sports icon is a billionaire since Y2014.

On the series, you'll see MJ's Corvette wt plate JUMP 23 and Testarossa wt plate M AIR J. This only proves his penchant for nice plate numbers. Here in the Philippines, a personalized plate will set you off for p20k to p30k. Here are the personalized plate classifications and what we've seen in the last 20 years in the streets of our country:

Classifications:
Date of birth

ONE - 31 on a white Ford Everest. The owner or a family member was probably born on Jan 31. Either that or he bought the in Jan 31 which doesn't make sense bit walang basagan ng trip.

MAR - 57 on a toyota land cruiser. Either the owner is born in Mar 1957 or this is owned by the former senator and former DILG secretary who incidentally was born in May 1957

My Initials

EVG 55 on a green Jeep Rubicon owned by Eddie Verchelez Garcia. This is confirmed by somebody very close to him.

SUE 888 on a white Subaru Forester. The owner's name must be Sue or a stern warning not to hit her car.

Numbers play

III - 456 on a white Mazda 3 sedan. Roman numeral 3 mixed with Arabic numerals on this white ride.

TWO - 22 on a black Mercedes Benz. Letter two mixed with 22. If this is the owners birth month and year, he will be a century old in 2 years time.

Car type

BUG - 80 on a red Volkswagen Beetle. When this new generation kotseng bukot passed by dela rosa street, I reckon madami ang nabatukan.

DEF-16 on a black land rover defender 110. If you are wondering why the number is 16, I have a strong feeling the mathematician owner wants to highlight that 4 x 4 = 16.

Double meanings

OMG - 888 on a black Mitsubishi Pajero. OMG or Oh my god is one of the more famous expressions. Google says it also means over-sized male genitalia but i am not sure if I shld write this part.

WHO - 123 on a brown Toyota Innova. WHO or world health organization is hugging the airwaves in the last 5 month because of the pandemic. I hope the pandemic ends soon so we can all enjoy driving our vehicles.

A personalized plates is both a boon and a bane. A boon because a easy to remember plates increases the value of a car bec the owner went thru the trouble of getting the plates and shows how much he cares abt his prized possession and a bane bec if somebody has an axe to grind, you car would be easy to spot.

The NEW NORMAL

Today marks my first blog post in in 6 years. That I've been busy in the dormancy period is an understatement. Writing is one of the things that I like doing and a skill that I would say I am a scale above average. 

Today also marks almost 100 days (93 days to me more precise) in Enhanced / General Community Quarantine and 24 weeks since the COVID-19 virus was first reported in Wuhan, China. They say that a global pandemic in this scale happens once in a century. The last was in Y1918 during the Spanish flu that infected 500 million people (1/3 of the world's population that time), killed  17M to 50M (source: wikipedia) and lasted for 15 months.

The fact is, we are no longer going back to our normal lives even if the vaccine is already available. The faster we wrap our heads to that thought and make the necessary adjustment will be beneficial for all of us. 

Integration of Social Class and Age Range

Version 1

Age Range/Social Class	D	C2	ABC1	TTL
50 and above	9%	8%	2%	19%
40 – 49	10%	9%	2%	21%
30 – 39	14%	13%	3%	30%
18 – 29	14%	13%	3%	30%
TTL	47%	43%	10%	100%

Version 2

Age Range/Social Class	D	C2	ABC1	TTL
50 and above	47%	42%	11%	100%
40 – 49	48%	43%	9%	100%
30 – 39	47%	43%	10%	100%
18 – 29	47%	43%	10%	100%
TTL	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Just playing around with the figures.

If 25 year old reached 60 today

If 25 year old reached 60 today...

63% will be broke

27% will be dead

5% still need to work

4% will be financially independent

1% will be wealthy

- Salve Dupito

So I am in the midway point between 60 & 25 and so far I belong to the bottom 10%. I hope to be part of the 5% when I reach 60 y.o. The goal is 45 by 55.   

WARREN BUFFET, My Hero

SOCIAL STATUS in the PHILIPPINES

QUESTION: What is the present social status of the Philippines?

ANSWER: The Philippines is 12% Class ABC, 49% D and 39% E as of April 2010.

Class A - Upper Class - executives, presidents, CEOs (>Php 100,000 / month)
Class B - Upper Middle Class - professionals (Php 50,000-100,000 / month)
Class C - Middle Class - white-collar jobs (Php 15,000-50,000 / month)
Class D - Lower Middle Class - blue-collar/clerical jobs (Php,8,000-15,000 / month)
Class E - Lower Class - living below the poverty line (
Source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_present_social_status_of_the_Philippines#page2

Paying 4 Convenience

When do you cross the line between a need and a want? Is it dictated by the product price? Can you live without it? So many questions but there's really no science to it. Here's my top list of items that we use because of convenience:

1-Trolley
We live in a condo so the weekly grocery is a challenge. Hello trolley! This sub p1k item available in hardwares keeps the weight off your shoulders, literally.

2- Back up sensor
My first experience with a back up sensor was in '02 when we got our psuedo SUV. We shelled out p7,5k then but well worth it. When we got our new ride in '07, the compact SUV had a dealer installed back up sensor which we got for free (in place of door visors, hood visors and a host of other small non critical freebies)

3- EC tag
As the title suggest, it's a EC (easy tag). If my memory serves me right, we bought the almost decade old transponder for p2k. It can be loaded via the toll booth teller, credit card auto debit or smart money. It's like having an express pass esp during heavy traffic holidays. Now NLE just needs to do something abt hard headed motorist who still use the EC tag only lane. Can't you read, people?

4- Data Suite
Nokia Data Suite... I love you! I've been using this free software since my phone was a Nokia 6150 in early 2000. It's not yet available in Android OS so I'm sticking with Symbian OS for my primary phone for now. I can send sms or connect to the internet wirelessly via bluetooth. And did I tell you the Nokia software is free?

5- Router
I don't consider myself super techy. I can say that I am between average to above average in being techy. Our under p2k router serves the following masters: 2 laptops, 2 symbian phones and 2 android phones. Now let's not dwell on the DSL speed.

How's that for convenience? Try it and apply it and you'll find out where I'm coming from.

Winner ang Winner

Speaking of turning 18 years old, when I was in college, 4 of my dormmates received a 6th generation Toyota Corolla. Itago na lang natin sa initials na BN, CB, TG and MU. When I reached that age, I received a unique gift from my parents - a white Winner personal ref. I think I was the only one who received such a gift in college. There were about 120 students in that dormitory when I was there; 4 received brand new toyota sedans and 1 received a personal ref ergo I still count myself as being blessed.

Pope JP II twice

"Not once, but twice!" says Susan Roces' famous line. Pope John Paul II was beatified last May 1, 2011. He visited the Ph twice in 1981 and 1995.

Early Eighties.
I was in elementary then and our family including Uncles and Aunties went to Baguio City to catch a glimpse of the Pope in his first visit to the Ph. There was a motorcade infront of Burnham Park and Papa (not the Pope) was carrying me on his shoulders. I was probably 15 to 20 feet from JP2 and being carried by JL2.

Mid Nineties.
My second sighting of the Pope JP II was during the World Youth day. It was a chance encounter as I was abt 30 feet above the street riding an LRT on my way home to Tarlac when I saw him inside the Cardinal's Residence along Taft Avenue, Manila. Albeit far, it was technically consider my second "encounter" of Pope John Paul II.

Happy Birdie!

I am not talking about golf, nor the male anatomy or the 2 legged winged mammal. This entry is about stats gathered during my birthday. How many friends or acquaintances do I know? Actually, I don't keep a tab however what I'd like to share is how many persons in my database greeted me. Here goes:

(1) FB friends = 441 greeted / 1717 friends. 25.68% hit rate.
(2) SMS = 99 greeted / 1670 friends. 5.96% hit rate.
(3) Email = 8 greeted.
(4) Verbal greeting = 8 greeted.
(5) twitter friends = 8 greeted / 205 friends. 3.90% hit rate.
(6) MS Office Communicator = 6
(7) FS friends = 0 greeted / 336 friends. 0% hit rate.
(8) letter or birthday card = zero.

Conclusions:
1- FB is hot! Until when, that's the next BIG question.
2- FS is not. Who's still in FS? Hello, anybody in here?
3- Email will not die. It has its purpose just like the Piranha. Ang layo ata nun?!?!
4- Sending a Birthday Card is a "dying tradition." I must chip in to keep it alive.
5- The fact that my "greeting rate" is a lowly 15.26% means 1 of 2 things: 1- they don't know my birthday or 2- they refuse to greet me. LOL.

Top 5 Lessons in Mountain Biking that can be applied at work

I've been working in the corporate world for more than a decade and a half now. I've been mountain biking that long as well. While my riding time significantly decreased from 3000 kilometers to 500 per year due to priorities, the skills and lessons learned from this sport will always be a part of me. The practical lessons are applied in my corporate life as well as my personal life. Consistency in application is another story.

1- Boy Scout
Mountain Biking: A boy scout's motto is laging handa (Translation: Always be ready). That holds true in mountain biking. Be ready to bring parts that you won't necessary need in every ride such as a spare tube, equipment-matching-tools and extra cables. While the probability is that you won’t be needing it in every ride, it better be there when you need it. Not having it around when you need it is a lesson ill preparation.
Corporate World: Similarly, it's better to be prepared at work. When attending a meeting or presenting, aside from being ready for the action, be ready to bring items or files that you don't directly need buy may eventually find value. It’s better to have it around even if you don’t really need it that to look for it when the moment dictates. Worst is the moment dictates that you need it but you don’t know where to find it (and you know that the data is on hand).

2- Near, Far, Whereever You Are.
MTB: While busting your lung on a single dirt track, always look 4 to 6 feet in front and occasionally look beyond 8 feet. It's important to know what's ahead of you so you can anticipate. Anticipation means adjusting your gear (shifters, fork adjustments, seatpost) to make the equipment work for you and be in for a comfortable ride.
CW: What is your agenda for the year? To meet that agenda, make sure every month's result is attuned to your annual target. What tools do you have in hand or tools that you need to learn. Make tools work for you (and not against you). Facebook is a tool. Make it work for you. How? That’s another entry. It is critical to have the mission, vision and targets in mind as well as the strategies on how to make it happen.

3- Trail Guide and Sweeper Role.
MTB: When mtbing in a big group (usually 6 bikers or more), there are 2 major responsibilities to guide the pack and these are the 1- trail guide and 2- sweeper. The trail guide is the leader of the pack and knows the trail like the palm of his hand. The sweeper's role is to ensure nobody is left behind and often the last biker in the group. Almost always, the sweeper carries the necessary tools and first aid kit.
CW: The trail guide is the superior or the project leader. They define the objective, lead the way and ensure the everybody is lined up to the objective. The sweeper is an unofficial role often played by the "understudy." He gives advices to the team which should be aligned with the superior. It is common corporate knowledge that one of the biggest challenges is opening up to a superior as people would rather relay the message to their peers so the role of a “sweeper” is actually critical. This role is often misunderstood and disregarded sometimes even by the corporate trail guide.

4- Body Shot.
MTB: The core of mountain bike is the frame. At least to the eye of a non mt biker. His bike is red or his bike is blue. They don't give a hoot if their groupset is the highend kind (like Shimano XT or XTR) or if their grip is the P1,300 per pair kind (like Cane Creek Lock Ons). The average cost of a grip is p500. In the eye of a real mt biker, every part counts and often, bikers have a mental list of their co-bikers set up. The bubble thought of a mtber goes like this “naka low end frame lang siya pero naka full XT.”
CW: Perception is everything especially if your superior or peers work this way. They’re the “His bike is red…” kinda guy. But you can’t blame them because that’s how they are and that’s how it works. They call the corporate setting a rat race so it’s every rat for himself. In so many ways (informally or formally), you have to brag your accomplishments. This is where humility takes a back seat. Then again, refer to my earlier statement “you can’t blame them because that’s how they are and that’s how it works.”

5- What Discipline?
MTB: A non cyclist would say “Nag ba-bike din siya” (Translation: He also rides a bike.). A cyclist would ask “Mountain bike or road bike?” A Mountain biker would ask “What kind? Cross Country? Trail Bike? DownHill or Freestyle?” Cycling is a complex sport and a cyclist can easily spot a real biker from a faker.
CW: “Sa SMT siya nagwork? May problema ako sa linya ko eh!” (Translation: He works in SMT? I have a problem with my line!) If you’re in Customer Service and Sales, you’d probably know what do: either have the answer ready or know where to refer it. If in a department outside those two mentioned, they should know where to refer the concern unless they read’ve the corporate website word per word. So the next time you meet somebody who works at a company, the next appropriate question is what department are they connected?

Hands, Connecting People

Five ways to look at hands.

(1)Mama Tamay. Mother used to tell me that I would ask her to hold my hand before I sleep. That was when I was around 1 or 2 years old. Her hand was my security blanket and couldn't sleep if I was not holding it. No wonder it made me feel secure after she held my hand in January last year when I went under the knife.

(2) HHWW with JML. HHWW means Holding Hands While Walking. I love seeing elderly couple in the mall walking with hands meshed. It's a physical manifestation of til death do us part commitment. And it's a commitment I intend to keep.

(3) Diminishing act by B5. One weekend last year, B5 was holding my hand while we were strolling in the mall when all of a sudden, he let go of my hand. Lo and behold, a classmate of his appears. That moment was bound to happen. I've surrendered to the fact that I've lost that part of my son to teendom.

(4) Lovely's warmth. B5 used to call her sister- Senador Lovely. On occassions when I bring MC to school, she would sometimes sit in the front seat and we would hold hands from our place to the school. I know it might sound like safety is sacrificed but I just had to trade it of with that precious moment.

(5) Bye Papa. And the moment I've been dreading all my life happened, the death of someone very dear to me. The only consolation from the immense pain is that we (mama, my sister and myself) held my father's hand until he breath his last breathe. I thought that only happened in movies. I thank God for that very special moment.

Where do you want to be when this decade is over?

Where do you want to be when this decade is over? I am reading the Phil Star today (March 13) Sunday Lifestyle with Manny Pacquiao, Inno Sotto, Dr. Vicki Belo and 6 others giving their inputs. As for me, by the end of the decade, I would be pushing fifty and dream of having a franchise business of my own (as a supplement to my current job), another business managed by my wife, a college graduate son who's starting his professional career and a college student daughter cheering rektikano during uaap games!

Michael Jordan Motivational Quotes:

I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career.
I have lost almost 300 games.
On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot... and missed. And I have failed over and over and over again in my life.
And that is why... I succeed.

The Fine Art of Self-Motivation

Reference:
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Working People, Page J2,
Written by Ernie O. Cecilia
September 26, 2010

After keeping a reference taken from a major daily for the last 5 month, I took time out to highlight some of the items in my site. Read on…

(1) Understand why you work.
(2) Master your craft.
(3) Create great impressions.
(4) Contribute or volunteer ideas.
(5) React positively to assignments
(6) Be happy at work.
(7) Be self-propelling.
(8) Achieve something.
(9) Discuss work issues.
(10) Have a positive career outlook.
(11) Don’t entrust your career to other people.
(12) Look to the future.

“It is better to light one candle than curse the darkness.” – old Chinese proverb

“Find the job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” - Confucius

CHILD'S PLAY

The children schooling their parents.

1- Don't spoil me. I know quite well that I ought not to have all that I ask for. I'm only testing you.

2- Don't be afraid to be firm with me. I prefer it, it makes me feel more secure.

3- Don't let me form bad habits. I have to rely on you to detect them in the early stages.

4- Don't make me feel smaller than I am. It makes me behave stupidly "big."

5- Don't correct me in front of people if you can help it. I'll take much more notice of it if you talk quietly with me in private.

6- Don't make me feel my mistakes are sins. It upsets my sense of values.

7- Don't protect me from consequences. I need to learn the painful way, sometimes.

8- Don't take too much notice of my small ailments. Sometimes they get me the attention I need.

9- Don't nag. If you do, I shall have to protect myself by appearing deaf.

10- Don't make rash promises. Remember that I feel badly let down when promises are broken.

11- Don't tax my honesty too much. I am easily frightened into telling lies.

12- Don't put me off when I ask questions. If you do, you will find that I stop asking and seek my information elsewhere.

13- Don't ever think that it is beneath your dignity to apologize to me. An honest apology makes me feel surprisingly warm toward you.

14- Don't forget how quickly I am growing up. It must be very difficult to keep pace with me. But please do try.

15- Don't forget that I can't thrive without lots of understanding and love, but I don't need to tell you, do I?

WHAT A TRIANGLE REPRESENTS?

In a seminar that we attended in January 2011, we were made to choose what shape best describes us. The choices were: Square, triangle, circle and octagon. I chose a triangle. Why?

A Triangle for me represents the ff:
I. Three important angles in my life:
1- God
2- My Family
3- Fulfillment of my dreams

II. Always aim for the sky. If you don’t make it, you get the next best and hit the top of the mountain.

III. I am a believer in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Had I chosen a circle, I would have been viewed as sexually active!

My 10 Day Vacation

It was one for the books. My 2010 Christmas holiday was near perfect:
1- Good mix of sports (basketball, jogging, mountain biking),
2- Socializing (parties, coffee with friends, reunions with family, high school batchmates),
3- Practicing my hobbies (photography and mountain biking)
4- TO DOs (fix JML's sss, tmaris’ sss, mama & aunt lst's bilins)
5- Rest (almost daily siesta).

I said it was near perfect because there where TO DOs that were not completed, schedules changed or not met because of the “hectic” line up and days when the bed was there for the taking but I just couldn’t sleep.

Besides, even if the plan was followed to the letter, it would still not be perfect. There is no perfect world. And that’s why a plan B was created.

Tweet Over Blog in 2010

Statistics show that from Aug 2009 to December 2010, I made 4,000 plus tweets in my 16 month old www.twitter.com account.

On the other hand, my blog entries have slowly eroded:
Y2010 – 36
Y2009 – 82
Y2008 – 83
Y2007 – 158
Y2006 – 64 (for ½ year)

Is the micro blogging uptake inversely proportional to the decrease in blogging? Nah!!! I was just too busy with work.