Top Five Reasons why employees leave their jobs

In one of the trainings that I attended, a trainer shared a survey that says there are generally five reasons why employees join or leave a company. I have been using this survey and sharing it since I discovered it years ago. Allow me to share it with you:

1. Pay – It pays to be paid well. The key word here is right remuneration. The question is, how much is enough? The survey says people resign or join a company because of the salary. This seems to be the number one reason.

2. Company – Fresh grads would do anything to join P&G, Accenture, Ayala, SGV and recently Smart. It’s probably partly because of reason number one but then again a bigger portion is because of the company culture, the trainings that these companies offer and the experience that you’d gain from working in these companies. Often, they use the employment as a springboard to higher positions in another company.

3. Job – So you finished a B.S. Nursing degree and an R.N. (Registered Nurse) but you work for a company’s IT department. Sounds strange huh? You study hard to be a nurse (and probably hope to work abroad) but happen to enroll in a computer course and realized that you actually love working with computers. This just supports the adage: “Find a job that you love doing and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

4. Peers – Birds of the same feather flock together. If you’re a sheep, then you’re the odd man out and chances are, you’re going to find a group where you’d be most comfortable working. That may mean moving to another department or another company.

5. Superior – No leader will accept this reason but second to pay, this is probably one of the top reasons why people leave – the bossy boss. There’s this thing called chemistry and a superior-subordinate is the hardest concoction to mix. There isn’t one formula for all and the probability is at least one of your staff hate your guts. The good thing (or bad) is that he’ll eventually leave you.

The result is not actually in that order. The good thing about is that when I tested the theory, it was 99% accurate. And the one percent? It accounts for a staff who resigned from his previous employer because of her ex-boyfriend. Probably, the ex-boyfriend was his ex-boss who she wanted to avoid. Did I mention that the ex-boss is married?

Will Mitsubishi Fuzion zing past Toyota Innova?

Good thing Mitsubishi decided to re-brand their AUV initially called the Zinger to Fuzion lest it be mistaken for a Kentucky Fried Chicken product. At least the new name sounds like a science project or a cocktail drink.

While the name game is a first step towards beating the Toyota Innova, the design is in the shades of the recently released second generation Mitsubishi Outlander. Non car aficionados would swear it's an Outlander from inside and out.

Is styling enough to beat Innova whose forefather is the late seventies released Tamaraw? I don't think so. My estimate is that Toyota is at least ten years ahead of Mitsubishi in the AUV race. Let's see how the Mitsubishi Fuzion does. Waiter, isa pa ngang round!

Maria Flor De Luna's Demise and the ABS-CBN stock price increase

What a sad way to end a telenovela, the star of the show passes away. To use my daughter’s fave expression “This is the worst day ever!” Everybody was expecting the evil troika of General Gary Alvarado, Dona Brigida and General Torres to die but all three were just side swiped by bullets. I have to hand it to ABS-CBN, I reckon more than half of the Philippine population was watching the show last Friday (including us) and half of that half was sobbing to death (excluding us).

The show ran for 2 hours and was a heyday for advertisers. It seems like there were more commercials than the actual TV show run time. The TV station probably raked millions that day and it was definitely a spike in their cash flow. I should monitor these types of telenovela endings in the future and probably invest in stocks the day before. Maybe, just maybe, these scenarios may have an impact on their stock price and I can do a Jesse Livermore and make money overnight.

Footnote: Jesse Livermore is considered to be the world's greatest stock broker. In 1907, he made $3M in one day.

Top Ten Credit Card Tips

According to HSBC’s ad, life is a matter of perspectives and I couldn’t agree more. A credit card may be a boon or a bane to every individual. It used to be a bane for me especially when I had difficulty paying the bills but nowadays a credit card is becoming my best friend. I’ve been a credit card user since I was 18 years old when BANKARD gave us free credit cards with a P5,000 credit limit and all you have to do was be a DLSU student and give your ID number. Here are tips coming from an almost 2 decade old credit card user.

1- Non believer. Yes, there is still a good chunk of the (Philippine) population that don’t own a credit card and it is a choice. The practically rule is: don't get one if you don't need one. If you’re a farmer who buys everything in cash then what do you need a credit card for?
2- Stick to one. If you already have one, just maintain one card at a time. If you have two cards, try disposing the other one. The practical arrangement is that you have a credit card and a cash card like Smart Money (http://www.smart.com.ph/SMART/Value+Added+Services/Smart+Money/)
3- Info Load. The most important information that a card holder must know are the following: credit limit, monthly interest rate and cut off dates. Having high credit limit translates to confidence in spending hence request for a limit that is within your means. The monthly interest rate is the ultimate budget killer hence you should know this figure. The cut off date tells you when to pay your bills to avoid paying interests.
4- That’s nice. The nice to have information include: amount to earn loyalty points, target points per item and their hotline number (and if they operate 24 hours a day).
5- Gun-less society. You should be a transactor, not a revolver. A transactor is a card user who pays the whole amount due or a big part of it and a revolver is the one who pays the minimum amount due. The revolver is the money making engines of credit card companies.
6- For me? What’s in it for me? What benefits do the card company give you. If your card company gives one point for every P50 and you use P4000 a week on groceries, would a electric griller worth P2000 be a reasonable remuneration?
7- Promotions. For every $10 spent abroad entitles you an electronic ticket where you get a chance to win a free trip to Hong Kong. Cool! What have you got to lose? You’re going to spend anyway since you’re out of the country so why not use your credit card. It makes sense.
8- The Annual Fee. “Sir/Ma’am, we’ll give you the credit card FOR FREE. And you don’t have to worry about paying the annual fee because it’s eternally free.” Oh, by the way, we charge 3.5% interest every month. Don’t be easily lured by free stuff. You might not like what’s at the end of the line.
9- Then what? You should know about the company’s after sales services like procedures on how to deactivate your card in case of loss, disputed purchase complaints, how to claim loyalty points and where to pay my bills.
10- Link it. The beauty of technology. You can now check your balance inquiry ANYTIME (although not yet real time) using your cellular phone. And eventually (some of the cash card companies are already doing this), credit card companies may offer push text message service for every transaction. That would be a great way to monitor your transactions.

B5 for President, again

Our son B5 was elected grade 4 section 3 class president recently. He said it was a tight contest because he got 15 votes (out of 45 pupils) and there were 7 students nominated. The runner up had 12 votes and eventually became class VP.

When he was in grade 3, he was class secretary and in grade 2, he was class president. His being elected class president the first time in DB came as a surprise to us. Though we didn’t doubt his competence, the fact that he was a new student (who transferred from Bright Woods School, Angeles City) that year, he was the least “best candidate” for the position. He won via landslide against the previous year’s class president so that seem to suggest that his classmates finds something positive in him despite being the new kid on the block.

My Father's a Knockout

I'm not Eric Morales' son.

My father is much older but more handsome.

He is not a boxer but a farmer.

Thou he may not have made millions, he may have made a million people laugh.

He is ToyLac to my son and Papa Boy to my daughter.

Happy Father's day to my one and only father, BoyLac.

PS: Happy Father's Day to every Dad who's reading my blog.

Of The Tipping Point and Maria Flor de Luna

“Maria Flor de Huya” says MC while her Kuya B5 says “Maria Flor de Taypee.” My family is currently fixated with the tele novella Maria Flor De Luna. Flor de Luna is a re-make of a late 70s Flor de Luna TV show of which the child actors and actresses are about my age, Herbert Bautista (now the Vice Mayor of Quezon City) as Reneboy and Janice de Belen as Flor. Their step mother was Laurice Guillen as Jo Espero - Alicante. Just writing this blog makes me quiver and shout “Ang baduy ko!” but I’ll continue to watch it anyway. It’s our family bonding time.

Now about The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. I’m currently reading three good books and one of them is this one. I’m about 1/3 into the book and this gets parked often because of the other equally good books am reading. In his book, M. Gladwell mentioned about the Laws of Connectors and I will be attempting to put his theory into application using Maria Flor de Luna as an example.

The star of the show, Flor de Luna was first played by Janice de Belen whose estranged husband is John Estrada. J. Estrada is now General Gary Alvarado in the remake. Estrada was de Belen’s “tormentor” in real life while he is the “tormentor” in the reel life of the current Flor. His father is General Alvarado played by Johnny Delgado who is married in real life to Laurice Giullen who played Jo Espero – Alicante in the original version.

Whoa! That was a challenge. But wait, there’s more! Dona Brigida is played by Liza Lorena whose son Tonton Gutierrez lives in the same condominium that we’re staying in Makati. At least we’re living in the same building with the son, not the Dona Brigida herself. She won’t be bothering me while I finish reading The Tipping Point book.

The Enchanted Rizal Adventure

Isn’t it a bit odd that you’re a Filipino based in the Philippines and you haven’t visited our national hero Jose Protacio Rizal’s shrine in Calamba, Laguna? It is even worse if you live in Laguna and you haven’t seen it. And Jose Rizal IS still our national hero and not Ninoy Aquino. Speaking about my kababayan Ninoy Aquino, funny, but I haven’t visited the Ninoy Aquino museum in Tarlac.

Last weekend, the game plan was to go to Corregidor. I’ve been yearning to go to that historical place since college but couldn’t find the time and the money. My family’s grand plan was to go to a thrift but fun adventure every quarter instead of logging hours in a boring and costly mall. My recollection brings me to a weekend in Tagaytay, a weekend in Lucena, a weekend in Subic, a weekend in Baguio and watching a UAAP basketball game.

This weekend, we went to Jose Rizal’s shrine in Calamba, Laguna. The travel time from Makati is about 1 hour sans traffic, twice the travel time if with the horrendous traffic. Personally, it was my 4th visit but t’was the first for my family so that’s what matters. The entrance was free. My realization was J.R. belongs to a buena familia. Imagine, in the 1860s, the Rizal family already had a two story house, a sprawling garden, a mechanical elevator and relatively high end furniture and fixtures.

Afterwards, we went to Enchanted Kingdom for more fun. E.K. is located just about 2 exits from Calamba exit via the South Luzon Expressway. This is my Nth visit and the same goes for JML. T’was the second time for B5 while it was the first for MC. The family had fun, a bit. Or at least the kids did. Probably, the wrong mix came from the fact that: 1- we were subconsciously (or consciously) comparing it to Disneyland HK which paled in comparison, 2- we’ve seen the amusement park quite a number of times and 3- it was so hot! The kids enjoyed the carousel which they rode 3 times, the choo choo train times two and the prehistoric looking playground.

The future plan for the quarterly escapades include: finally seeing Corregidor, check out Intramuros, a nature trip to La Mesa Dam, a weekend getaway in Laiya, Batangas, a long weekend Ilocos region trip, a drive to Bicol region (to see Mayon Volcano), museum hops like in National and Ayala museum, watch basketball games like UAAP (go La Salle!), NCAA, PBL and PBA. This beats going to the mall.

Two Reunions in Twelve Hours

Ah reunions. Time to reminisce. Catch up on old friends. Enhance your network. Unwind. I attended two reunions last weekend.

Last Friday (May 26), around 800PM, I met with some high school classmates in Dencio's Paseo Makati branch. We had dinner and a few drinks then moved to McDo near Makati Med for some coffee. In attendance were Eric Flores, Rommel Eser, Manny Orallo, Dax Kanapi and myself. The fave topic was without a doubt, our classmates.

At 700AM the following day, had a reunion ride with some members of the Pampanga Trail Riders, a mt bike group in Pampanga which I helped form. The pack contains about 15 riders but only knew about 30%. The rendezvous was Clark Parade ground and the 30 kilometer trail was called Radar which sits on top of a hill with a magnificent view of Clark Air Base from north side. I was supposed to ride again the ff. day but we had a pre-arranged plan.

Let’s have more reunions please!

My Daughter's First School Day

My daughter who turned 3 years old last January is now officially a school girl. In her lingo, she’s a “stool dirl.” She's attending toddler school at a pre-school about a block from where we live. She's enrolled as a senior toddler and goes to school 3 times a week. Indeed time flies and our peso flies with it (devaluates).

I remember my parents telling me that my first day in school was a bit of a challenge for them because I didn't want them off my sight. Things are a bit different with my daughter because she cheerfully played with her new classmates who are mostly foreigners, probably children of expats and proudly displayed her new Disney backpack to her teacher and didn't stop until they acknowledged it. We slowly slipped off her sight and she didn’t notice a bit. And she calls her teacher “my boss.” It’s a bit too early preparing for the corporate world.

When I was in college more than a decade ago, my semester tuition fee was less than P10,000 and since the university was a tri sem, my annual tuition fee was P30,000. Well, my tuition fee is just a third of my 3 year old daughter’s annual tuition fee. Sheesh! And she’ll be in college in 13 years time so how much would the annual tuition fee be P1 million?!?!

Jatropha, the wonder tree

Do you know what a Jatropha tree is? About two month ago, I didn't give a hoot what it was and what it does but I am now coming into terms with this plant that may-just-save-the-world. Too ideal you say? Think global warming, oil reserves and bio fuel law.

So what's the connection? It's a long story and this blog entry will be insufficient for me to detail it plus the fact that it will bore you to death. I just want to highlight these quick facts: 1- global warming is a big chunk caused by pollution, 2- oil reserves is concentrated in the Middle East countries and none in our beloved Pinas and 3- bio fuel law is already in effect.

Finally I met Mr. Jatropha last Saturday. It's a tree that grows about 8 feet and the fruit is processed to make the 2% mix in today's bio fuel. Today, the mix is currently at 2% but who knows the figure may increase in the next decade and maybe, just maybe, the tables may turn and it could be 98% bio fuel. That would probably happen but not in my lifetime.

Race for Space in 2010

Countdown 3 years to go before our second lady president in Phil history GMA steps down and turns over the reigns to the 15th prexy of the republic. This early, there are a handful of presidentiables jockeying for the position. Some are qualified and some may even win out of sheer popularity even if they are not qualified. Let's review them:

Loren Legarda - The newly proclaimed senator who topped the race is back with a vengeance. In 2004, after failing to get the endorsement of GMA to be her running mate and eventually allying with the late FPJ, she bitterly lost the VP race to fellow broadcaster Noli De Castro.

Mar Roxas - Mr Palengke's term as senator ends in 2010. He topped the senatorial race in 2004. I reckon he is one of the senators with a high degree of initiative and competence. That he belongs to the Araneta clan just proves how deep his pocket is. Will Korina Sanchez be eventually the first lady?

VP Noli de Castro - The housing czar didn't need to cheat in 2004 to beat Loren, she should accept this fact. Noli is just way too popular for her. Kabayan's popularity is just a few shades below Erap’s albeit his competence is better than the deposed president. I reckon he will be GMA's anointed one in 2010.

Jinggoy Estrada - I like the car that he drives, a cool Chrysler PT Cruiser. That's about it. If I were to be objective about it, he is a good candidate having served as mayor of San Juan for 3 terms and currently a senator. However, he is Erap's offspring so we can't be too sure if he will be "clean." Then again, is there really such a thing as a clean politician?

Ping Lacson – “Si Ping, ang kinabukasan.” This no non sense senator who recently won a fresh mandate has his eyes set on the presidency. He had a failed attempt in 2004 to snatch the presidency from GMA. He would have been a good president or could be, potentially the likes of Lee Kwan Yew.

The race has started and we'll know in 3 years who will be the victor. We should watch every wannabees action since this will tell if they are actually doing what they pledged to do in their current functions or just showing off in preparation for 2010.

Recto bids goodbye to his presidential dream

Officially an ex-senator, Ralph G. Recto threw in the towel yesterday (June 4) during an upper house privilege speech. When he was a newbie senator, he expressed interest of eventually running for the highest position in the land. He wanted to surpass his grandfather Claro M. Recto’s achievement who served as a senator from the 30s through the 50s. Obviously, his Lolo didn't become president.

Co-Recto's downfall seem to be the e-vat. He was coerced by Malacanan to pass the controversial law which sparked radical street protests and that probably sealed his defeat. For co-Recto, who has 16 years of legislative experience under his belt, his contributions in congress was eclipsed by the debilitating four letter called e-vat and was a victim of right minus wrong. Obviously, he has to bid goodbye to his Y2010 dream to become the Philippine president.

The Honda CR-V Survey

Pls. click the the box below. Tks!

Dub shot

Dub shop was borne out of double two or a street name for twenty two inch wheels (22in diameter). Read Bling! Bling! These fancy car accessories actually doesn't impress me. Here's a 22 year old that's pretty impressive. Yesterday (May 31), Lebron "King" James led his Cleveland Cavaliers to a 107 - 106 win over the motor city boys, Detroit Pistons. He poured in 48 points or nearly 50% of the team's points and almost a triple double. The Cavs now lead the Eastern Conference finals 3 - 2.

The San Antonio Spurs are just waiting for the outcome of the east finals as they annihilated the Utah Jazz 4 - 1 days ago. It was a mismatch from day one. The east finals is a match made in heaven. I'd say this is better than the actual NBA finals as my guess is San Antonio Spurs will just roll over whoever wins in the east.

I'm rooting for Cleveland Cavs. From among the three "active" NBA teams, only Cavs is without a ring. They suffered so much during the Jordan-era. Remember "the shot on Ehlo" referring to the poor soul who had the unfortunate role to guard the Air Jordan.

King James has a lot of mileage in his 22 year old legs. His game last Friday was described to be one of the best in NBA history. In basketball TV, he owned the top 5 highlight plays off the week. Easily, he could have provided highlight for the top ten plays. The question is, if this 22 year old can handle the pressure. A lot rests on his shoulders.

Double you money in 5 years scheme

The double your money scheme usually given by rural banks is a dying breed. When I was younger, I recall accompanying my mother in Land Bank of the Philippines Tarlac branch to avail of this scheme. For a minimum of P100,000, you may entrust this amount to LBP, wait for 5 years and they’ll give you P200,000. No sweat. It actually is a good deal if you’re the type of person who is a risk taker yet conservative. Sounds contradicting? Allow me to expound a bit.

You are considered a RISK TAKER because investing your hard earned doe in a rural bank is not the wisest decision there is but if calculated properly, both quantitative and qualitative factors, there’s a very high probability you’d get your money back. Then again I may be wrong. That’s why it’s called a risk.

It is considered CONSERVATIVE because some brave soul would borrow P100,000 from a lending institution, pay an interest of 18% per annum and invest the money in a food franchise worth P60,000.00, cross his fingers and hope that he choose the right location and product. If his gamble proves to be right, then he’d have return of investment by 6 months, pay off his debt in a year and in a year or two more, he would have either more outlets or bought a second hand car.

Life is all about taking risks, that is calculated ones. Trusting your gut feel is applicable but should be exercised with extreme care in an investment.

The GIANT comeback

I'm back on the saddle after over a year of dormancy. My first mountain bike ride this year last Sunday was a 30+ kilometer 80% off road over lots of single tracks in Brgy. Sampu, Tarlac. My ride buddy was Joey Mendoza who I've ridden with a couple of times in the past. In fact, I bought my second bike - a Schwinn Moab hard tail from him years ago.

I intend to actively go back to riding my mt. bike. I used to ride 60kms a week when I was still based in Pampanga. We’d ride every weekend even up to 3 times a week. Then every quarter, we'd go on out of town rides like in Montalban Rizal, Mt. Samat Bataan and Dueg San Clemente Tarlac.

I started mt. biking in 1996. It's been my ultimate stress reliever, gives me a break from work. That I get a big work out is just a plus. The most important impact of mt. biking for me is that it let's me be myself. Let the riding begin!

The Terminal

I was watching HBO NYC last Saturday and playing was The Terminal starring Tom Hanks as Viktor Navorski and Catherine Zeta Jones as Amilia Warren. I can’t help but reminisce because d movie was filmed in JFK International Airport in NY. It was around this time last year when I experienced the city.

In the movie, Hanks was tourist from Krazozhia while Zeta Jones played an ultra pretty 39 y.o. flight attendant. The story revolved around the fact that Hanks wanted to enter the US and dig this "get an autograph of jazz sax player Benny Golson at Ramada Hotel." It really seems unbelievable reason why he was endlessly refused entry by immigration. He was stranded in the airport temporarily taking shelter in gate 67 for 9 months. He couldn't go back to native Krakozhia because of the civil war that erupted. During that period, he befriended almost everybody in the airport and touched their lives, reason why he was like a star when he was finally "allowed" to leave the airport. While his wait time to gain entry took quite sometime, his official one day trip was fulfilling as he met his objective of getting an autograph from his father's idol.

For me, the movie was like the new Honda CR-V. It's a so-so movie in fact the ending was lousy but it was directed and produced by THE Steven Spielberg, starred by award winning actor Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta - Jones so people watched the movie. I did. The new CR-V is so-so SUV in fact the exterior is unimpressive but it's a Honda and it's a CR-V so that alone will make people buy it. I will.

Top Ten information that you need to win in a local election

The election fever Y2007 is about to die down. While most of the uncontested local positions have been proclaimed already, the national election remains untouched. The next major election is in May Y2010. Do you want to run for mayor in your town? You'll probably need an army of supporters, dozens of consultants, about P30 million bucks and you may find these information helpful:

1. Electoral Process: The first thing you need to know is how the entire thing works, officially. What’s the end to end process from step 1 which is the filing of candidacy until the last step being your first day in office.
2. Comelec Org: What does the Commission on Elections table of organization look like (from the highest national chairman to the lowest ranking election officers tasked to man the precincts)? It’s a must that you know their names and their profiles. This will give you a leverage on how to communicate with these characters. Hello Garci?
3. Voter’s Demographics: You’ll need the number of voters per barangay; a list of voter’s would surely be a big help and the history of the voter’s turn out.
4. Town Profile: You’ll need at least the ff: Population, Headcount per family, the family names of the “big” families, Per Capita Income and Source of Income (livelihood). If you can cull the data on a barangay level, that would be a big plus.
5. And the Winner is: You’ll need the profiles of winning candidates. Do the constituents vote for first time mayors? Returning mayors? His father is a mayor? Wife of a mayor? A vice mayor nearing its expiry date? Ex-Congressman? Ex Governor? Just like playing baccarat, it would help if you study the trend.
6. Survey Says: Questions like “Who will they vote for Mayor?” “What are the traits that they look for in a Mayor” “What are the top problems of your community?” can be best captured by a survey. You’ll need this to draft your platform, assess your chances of winning and give you an idea how much money that you have to spend.
7. Barangay Captain who? : This is probably the most important requirement in any election bid. I’d say 25% of your chance rests on your level of affiliation with the Brgy. Captain. In fact, they can easily provide the information required from numbers 1 to 6.
8. Media Outlets: If you advertise it, they will come (meaning the votes). Know the list of radio and TV stations, local and regional newspapers. This would be a good time to meet new (journalist) friends, not fiend. In this new media revolution, a website is a must. Check out this URL in year 2025: http://www.dylac4mayor.com/.
9. Local and National Organizations, official and unofficial: Yes, you will definitely need divine intervention. Aside from priests who maintain a direct line to the One, there are evangelists like Erano Manalo of Iglesia Ni Cristo, Bro. Mike Velarde of El Shaddai, Bro. Eddie Villanueva of Jesus is Lord, et al. who delivers bloc votes, almost solid. It would be wise to affiliate with organizations like Jaycees, Rota Club, Lions Clubs and any local official clubs you can find. The unofficially clubs would also boost your candidacy. You may want to try Lad Lad. No pun intended.
10. Top Election Concerns – The last thing you need to know albeit one of the more important requirements is the top election concerns. Specifically, know how cheating is done and either ride with the wave (if you can stomach it), go around the system or grab the bull by the horn. A seasoned politician like Peping Cojuangco chose the latter when he ran for Tarlac governor in the recent election and miserably lost to a green horned son-of-the-gov Vic Yap.

Now if these info does not help you get the coveted seat, it only means one thing - you were cheated. Nobody loses in a Philippine election but it’s a clear signal that says ”ENJOY YOUR PRIVATE LIFE!

Foto Me by MC

My 3 year old daughter is into photography! A bit too young you say? Well, yes. Let me post some proof for your appreciation. Her camera of choice is her father’s Nokia N70 which takes 2 mega pixel shots. Last Friday, when it was time to sleep, we tucked her in bed and went outside to watch news. When I woke up the following day, I checked out my phone and saw about 40 new pictures which I didn’t take. I was with my JML in the living room around that time and her Kuya was on vacation in Tarlac so the cute culprit has been identified.

Toyota is on top, again.

The motoring news in a local daily this week shows that the top vehicles sold during the first quarter of the year 2007 are the ff.
1- Toyota Innova
2- Toyota Vios
3- Toyota Avanza
4- Honda Civic
5- Toyota Fortuner

This has been the picture for at least two decades. It’s no surprise that on the road, out of the 10 vehicle, 7 to 8 are Toyotas and at one point, I noticed that 5 are Toyota Revos.

In the vehicle industry, the Toyota trade name has been synonymous to trustworthiness. So it’s no wonder that one of Toyota’s tag line says “The world in mine.”

Blessing in the GenSan Sky

Our pambansang kamao, Emmanuel “Pacman” Pacquiao, all pumped up at 5’7” and 130 lbs. of raw power got knocked out in the early rounds by a petite dusky female looker named Darlene Magnolia Antonino.

Incumbent South Cotabato Congresswoman Darlene Antonino – Custodio is well on her way to her third term after flooring congressman wannabee Pacman. A fellow La Sallite, she belongs to a family of politicians – her grandfather was a former senator, father was an ex-mayor and ex-congressman and her mother served in congress as well. At 33 years old and with already a 6 year experience in congress, she is the one of the youngest representatives if not the youngest in the history of the lower house.

Internet gossip says that Pacman spent P100 million pesos in his failed attempt to snatch the title from Representative Custodio. In a recent interview, he said it would require him at least three months to recover the energy that he squandered while campaigning (although only one fight to recover the money he wasted).

His next fight is with WBC super featherweight title-holder Juan Manuel Marquez in October this year. The people from South Cotabato can now breathe a sigh of relief because their two gems are not squared with each other and instead each doing what they do best – Darlene in the lower house and Manny in the boxing ring.

T.O.P. Investment : The Oriental Place

I hope EIGHT is really a lucky number as we just made our first real investment today, May 18. The Chinese folks believe that 168 is a lucky number reason why Philippine motor vehicle plates with 168 numbers are quite pricey – in the range of P30,000.

We discovered the place while fuelling up in Shell gas station along Pasong Tamo avenue since it’s en route to our favorite mall Waltermart, my son’s school and our church Don Bosco Makati. The real estate project is called The Oriental Place condominium and it’s managed and developed by Federal Land Inc., a member of MetroBank Trust Company group. The selling price of a 1 bedroom 24 sq.m. condo is in the range of P1,8M but of course we don’t have that amount and instead we’ll mortgage it.

Here’s the deal: They call it 10-15-75 scheme. We paid P50,000 as reservation fee; after a month we have to pay the balance of the 10% down payment. From months 3 to the 33rd month, we have to pay P9,000 a month (interest free) only which accounts for the 15%. The remaining 75% will be paid P15,000 a month for 15 years.

We’ve done our math and it shows a potential ROI in 6 years if rent is aggressively priced or 10 years if rent is just right. Worse case scenario is we lose our deposit, down payment and first 30 months payment. If my computation is correct, the deal is better than placing your money in time deposit at 4 percent per annum.

I hope and pray that we made the right decision.

Rebel Yell

Two rebels are poised to win the mid-term senatorial election, if all goes out well for them and their lawyers do their jobs. Ex-Colonel Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan who led a number of coup attempts in almost all the post martial law regime and Lieutenant Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes IV who led the Magdalo group in the infamous Oakwood mutiny is part of the magic twelve as of this writing.

Ex-senator Gringo Honasan is a veteran lawmaker, coup maker and ultimate escape artist except the last time wasn't as successful. I was able to see him up close and even shook his hand in Tarlac City when he first ran for a senate seat. He arrived in style as he was chauffeured in white Bell helicopter. He was a political neophyte then with full of idealism and Don Bosco alum reason why I voted for him that time.

Navy Lieutenant Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes IV was first in my list of senators. I only voted 11 legit senators and 1 kicker that was singer Victor Wood. With a little over 10% of precincts processed, he is in the 11th spot. In Philippine election history, the 11th and 12th spot is the best candidate for dagdag bawas. The subtle harassment that he has been getting from the government seems to work in his favor brought about by public sympathy. His one liner during a televised forum was a talk of the town. He was asked if he would apologize to the government for leading the mutiny and his reply was simply NO. This is one astig na mambabatas.

The fact that all quick counts shows that 8 genuine opposition, 2 independents and only 2 team unity senatoriables are leading the race suggests a rebellion against the present administration. If you can't beat them (via a coup attempt), join them (as the only government body in the Philippines that wants GMA ousted).

3Ps: Popularity, Power or Pera in Pampanga

Pampanga’s political landscape this mid term election is at its best. The hotly or holy contested gubernatorial post is a battle among a lahar quarry lord, a gambling lord and a man of the Lord. Twenty four hours after the May 14 election, Father Ed Panlilio is lording it over his main rivals Board Member Lilia Pineda and incumbent Governor Mark Lapid with 20000 plus votes compared to the two “government officials” with 8000 plus a piece. The profiles of the 3 candidates can be analogous to the blog’s title: Popularity, Power and Pera.

The Pera: My aim is to be worth P200M by the time I reach 65 years old. That way, I can put our money low risk time deposit and just LOI or Live On Interest. Board Member Lilia Pineda may be worth at least 10 times that amount. I won’t be surprised if the figure is 100 times or P20B and that’s no exaggeration. BM Pineda is married to suspected gambling lord Bong Pineda who owns a fortress of a house in Lubao, Pampanga (the hometown of GMA) and is suspected to have financed the candidacy of my fellow Kapampangan GMA. Incidentally, I voted for her last election.

The Power: A political dynasty is in the works in the province of Pampanga. Now Senator Lito Lapid, occupied the post for 3 terms before passing the torch to his son Mark Lapid. I reckon he is the youngest Gov of the province at age 25 years old. Prior to holding the highest position in Pampanga, he was a Barangay Captain who easily got a seat in the Provincial Board for being the province’s ABC President, which was largely due to his father’s influence.

The Popularity: Among Ed Panlilio, the parish priest of Minalin, Pampanga was in the right place in the right time. Or was it a calling? How many active parish priest do you know decides at a moment’s notice to throw their hat in the dirty world of politics. I’m sure this was not how he dreamed his life to be. Amongst the 3 candidates, it’s pretty obvious Among Ed has the least resources and influence. Much if not all his resources are from contributions. If I was still a Pampanga resident (lived in Pampanga from Y1999 to Y2004), I’d definitely chip in. The only mortal power that he has is the power of prayers. The fact is Kapampangan’s want real change and they felt that a man of God is the best alternative.

Would YOU go for Pera, Popularity or Power? For the other two candidates, aside from Pera and Power, because of their action, they are already assured of a seat in another “P” that is Purgatory. Actually, Among Ed won (rather, is winning unless he gets cheated) because of a “4th P” and that is Prayer.

Graduating from D.A.U. is not a guaranteed ticket for success

I graduated from De La Salle University in September 1994. It was around that same time when I had my first taste of employment with SMT, my current employer. Rewind to my senior year high school in Don Bosco Tarlac, my choices for college then were De La Salle University, Ateneo de Manila University and University of the Philippines (D.A.U.), in that order of preference. I flunked the UP college entrance exam, was waitlisted in Ateneo and successfully passed La Salle's entrance exam for College of Engineering. Fast forward again to my fifth year in college, I learned of an opening in SMT thru a newspaper print ad. The ad wasn't actually impressive since it was a start up company selling cellular phones but I submitted my resume anyway. I sent my resume to Marubeni and Abbott as well. I found out later that the last remaining slot in our department was a toss up between me and another candidate from UST. I met the candidate during our final interview and he was "wearing a red Chicago Bulls shirt." I like his shirt being Jordan fan but thought it was inappropriate. I got the job so I guess the final interviewer was not a Jordan fan.

My superior for over a decade is a Thomasian (University of Santo Tomas grad) but she didn't get the Jordan fan wearing a Bulls shirt and instead hired the Jordan fan who was properly dressed wearing a long sleeves and tie during the interview. I can't actually fathom why I was chosen. I’m quite certain it has nothing to do with my looks. In my professional life, I’ve come to realize that the advantages of being a LaSalista are exuded in these ways:
1- Networking
2- Projection
3- Finance Focused
4- Communication
5- Entrepreneurial

To save myself from boredom in Y2000, I took the University of Philippines entrance exam for Masters in Management and redeemed myself from the earlier failed attempt to enter this school, passed the exam and completed the course. During my 3 years as a Peyups, I’d like to think I developed the following traits:
1- Critical Thinker
2- Open Minded
3- Resourceful
4- Go Getter
5- Career Oriented

In conclusion, an education in DLSU, ADMU or UP is a big plus but not an assurance. Regardless where you finished your undergrad course, thou shall not wait for opportunities, as they will NOT be served in a silver platter. And just like looking for a needle in a haystack, you have to FIND that opportunity and SEIZE it.

Top Ten Household Must Have Tools and Practical Items

Not every one is a Mister Handyman at home but everybody should have at least these ten useful items:

1- Hammer (Buy the Stanley brand curved claw hammer. It’s a bit pricey but a good investment)
2- Wood Nails (Buy 20 pieces each of 1 inch and 2 inches.)
3- Cable Ties (Buy at least 10 pieces each of 3 inches to 6 inches)
4- Wire Cutter (It’s called a wire cutter but it has many uses like cutting cable ties)
5- Pliers (There are at least 6 types but for practically reasons, just buy the slip joint type)
6- Screwdrivers (There are at least 9 types however get the slotted or flat and phillips type which are commonly used)
7- Electric wires (Buy the 300 volt flat cord at least 5 meters. Pls. handle with extreme care. If you're not confident, don’t even try to splice a wire.)
8- Bulb (Buy the most used wattage in your house. If you’re clueless, just buy at least 15 watts for replacement)
9- Packaging Tape (Buy the two inch width heavy duty type. This has gazillion uses, just use your imagination.)
10- Heavy Duty Fastener (Buy the Arrow brand model T-50M).

I just realized I can name 20 useful items but these are the most useful. All these ten items may cost in the range of $ 150 (less than p 7,000) but it sure beats paying somebody $100 each time you need to hammer something.

SPIDERMAN 3 : Three’s a crowd

In New York, there is this pace, a feel. The audience knows they are really in New York – you can see it.” Ari Arad, Marvel Studios Chairman and CEO

I watched Spiderman 3 last May 3 at Glorietta 3. I'm not the movie buff type and am actually trying to avoid writing a movie review because my view in watching a movie is like eating - not everybody likes Chinese food. I'm writing this just to atone with Mr. Arad and to highlight the fine lines in the movies.

This trilogy is my first Spidey movie post US trip where I had the chance to see the Big Apple. While watching, I saw the Bow bridge and Flat Iron bldg. The Bow bridge is what Mary Jane Watson referred to as "Meet me at the bridge" which is located in Central Park, NY. The Flat Iron bldg. is where the Daily Bugle was housed.

In Spider 1, who can forget the line "With great power comes great responsibility." In this 3rd installment, the super arachnid is faced with 3 kontra-bidas (nemesis) and they are: New Goblin, Sandman and Venom. The quotable quote for me would be the line by Flint Marko a.k.a. Sandman delivered towards the end of the movie "I'm not asking you to forgive me, I just want you to understand."

The movie Spiderman 1 was good, the second one was better and the third one is so far the best. I have to find a superlative to describe the fourth edition.

SEMPCO : It’s show time!

It’s official! I won a seat in SMT Employee Cooperative (SEMPCO) board of directors. I decided to run only last April 20, the last day of filing. The election campaign period was from April 21 to 24 and election was last April 25 to 30. Technically, I was only able to campaign aggressively last Apr 21 Saturday because we were off to HK the ff. day until Apr 26. It helped that I asked the endorsement of my fellow managers within and outside our department. Kapalan na rin ng mukha as I texted our Mancom members and asked for their endorsement.

My platform (DSL’s FOUR EYEs platform) includes the ff:
1. Increase number of members
2. Increase member benefits
3. Improve loan packages
4. Increase cooperative profit

To put the platform into play, initially, I have the ff. projects in mind:
1. Travel Lite
2. Club Tie Ups
3. Primera Segunda

I joined the foray to expand my network, load up on experience and try to inject what I learned within and outside Smart in a different setting.

The 64 million dollar question : Is Snow White snow white in HK Disney?

This question must be answered during our trip to HK Disney lest our trip will be a partial failure. Finally, we saw Snow White at her grotto…lo and behold…she was as white as snow and NOT light brown skinned, didn’t have chinky eyes nor black hair. Her looks was occidental, not what I expected. Disney said that the Hong Kong version was designed especially for Asian audiences.

By the way, Snow White didn’t say a word of Chinese. That’s too bad. That was the least she can do to serve the Asian market, so to speak. And of course, I'm just pulling your leg!

Discover Hong Kong : It's a small world after all

While in HK, we saw Reghis Romero, the chairman of R: II builders and Manila North Harbour Center. We saw him along Granville road near Nathan in Kowloon. It was the 3rd time we saw him in public. The 1st time was in SM Megamall with his platoon of body guards. The second time was in Subic Bay Yatch Club inside SBMA. I spoke to him then and told him I was BoyLac's son. He said: "Yes, Lacs from Tarlac" in Kapampangan. I delivered the same line in HK and he retorted with exactly the same line. I've seen him a couple of times in Pasion family reunions. His ex-mother in law is my father's first cousin. That makes his ex-wife my second cousin.

I also saw some SMTees in Disney. We chanced upon Ava Española. She's the marketing manager for SMT Broadboad Inc. A bubbly gal, she was with her daughter. I saw her at Market House Bakery having breakfast. Also spotted was Ms. Eileen Cerezo, an SMT HR Manager and she was with her family. I saw her twice, the first in Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster in Tomorrowland and the second was near Jungle River Cruise in Adventureland.

HK Trip Day 5 : Disney Part 2

The day started with me waking up early and went around Disney park by foot to take some pictures. T’was a LONG walk but was up to it. First went around Hollywood Hotel, then Disney Hotel, then Park Promenade and last was the Ferry Pier. I must have taken at least 100 shots during my lone escapade. I took lots of shots, enough to drain the battery. Then we were off to Disney Park for the 2nd time within 24 hrs. It was a choice between going back to Disney or going to nearby Maritime Mall in Tsing Yi. The former was the economical choice hence my recom to the family which they agreed. We saw majority of the attractions except for 2 which was either closed or not operational that day. Our Disney tour was capped with a picture with M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E (sing it!). Our 5day HK escapade ended when we arrived around 1AM Friday in Manila. It's back to reality.

HK Trip Day 4 : Disney Adventure

To all who come to this happy place – welcome. Walter E. Disney, July 17, 1955

T'is my 2nd Disney visit in less than a year. I went to Disney World Resort located in Lake Buena Vista and Bay Lake, Florida outside the city limits of Orlando last May 2006. Three more Disney's to go then quota na ako. There are currently 5 Disneys in the world and they are: California, Orlando, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong. We checked in at Disney’s Hollywood Hotel. That the kids had fun is an understatement. They'd probably dream about this experience for the next few weeks or months. Too bad our Sony digicam wasn't cooperative, it ran out of batteries one third through our adventure. Good thing Nokia popularized camera integrated phones and that saved our day. Moments like these should be captured on film or rather, on memory stick. I'd say the highlight of the day is the breathe taking fireworks displays. Disney is truly a whole new world and the happiest place to be.

HK Trip Day 3 : Weather is not exact science

T’was a rainy day today. The plan was to go to International Finance Center 2 (the 4th tallest building in the world), check out the world’s longest escalator, the Peak and shop at Mongkok. We had to skip everything except IFC 2 because mister sun decided not to shine today. We had to improvise hence went to Central and Causeway Bay instead. There was a lot of MTR rides today. We were also able to check out HK Science Museum which was just across the street from the hotel. Museum never ceases to amaze me. There is just so much information you can get during these short escapades. We had to buy to more suitcases because of the clothes that we bought. It seems like we bought half of the Bossini’s inventory along Grandville Road. Bossini’s magic words: “WE ARE ON SALE!”

HK Trip Day 2: Ocean Park Adventure

First stop was (1) Aberdeen Marina. We rode on a sampan (water taxi). I actually didn't want to at first, my feeling was the p300 (hk$50) per person was not worth it but the boat trip was an experience. The tour guide Elton (Wi Tek) said that strait will be reclaimed after 5 yrs. Next stop was (2) Hong Kong Jewelry Center. T’was like a plant visit specially designed for my wife who loves jewelries. I was just there for the show. Despite that statement, we won a garnet stone for giving the correct answer during a pop quiz. I was listening after all. Next on the I.T. was (3) Ocean Park. We meet again after 25 years, went here first when I was 10 yrs old. It changed a whole lot, that's what you call re-invention. The highlight was probably the 8 minute cable car ride which was a challenge for someone with mild acrophobia like me. In the evening, more shopping before snoozing off.

HK Trip Day 1 : Kowloon Express

The beauty of living within the shopping district...You can shop, then leave your things at the hotel, more shopping and the cycle continues. We stayed at Ramada Kowloon Hotel. The hotel room view was great - Chatham Road South area. Day 1 included the ffg trips: Chek Lap Kok airport (of course), Nathan Road, the Clock Tower, HK Space Museum and HK Arts Museum. Hkg is known for shopping so we tested that theory and the result - a wasted 4 pairs of legs and an exhausted credit card. HSBC has a promo, for every $10 spent, you get an electronic raffle ticket for a chance to win a trip to Hong Kong! Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. What a cycle!

Nag DH kami sa HK.

Nag DH kami as in DISNEYLAND and island HOPPING visiting the following Hong Kong islands: Lantau, Tsing Yi, Hong Kong Island and Kowloon last April 22 to April 26, 2007. While it was my 3rd trip to the crown colony, this one was quite special as it was the first time we're traveling abroad as a family and the first time the kids rode an airplane.

Keep Walking!

Did you know that the walking pace of a person is an average of 5 kilometers per hour (about 3 miles per hour).

I live about 600 meters from my office which is roughly a 10 minute walk. Health advisories say it is beneficial to walk 10,000 steps a day. In fact, there are dozen of companies that advocate walking to their employees. Walking 10,000 steps which would take 240 minutes is equivalent to burning 12080 calories. In more mortal terms, walking 10,000 steps a day can burn enough calories to trim off 35 pounds in a year.

When I'm in the mood (or even when out of it), I engage in alot of pedo exercise. Probably the longest and most recent walk for me was in NYC when I walked almost the length of 5th avenue. I walked from Empire State bldg to Central Park. That's in excess of 5 kilometers (3 miles). In the Philippines, one of the longest walk I can recall is about 4 kilometers which was a walk from Tiara hotel in Malugay st., Makati to Sanctuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Makati. That's more than the length of Ayala Avenue.

Top Ten Travel Tips (International)

I’m not actually considered a frequent traveler, internationally speaking as I’ve only been to 3 countries in my lifetime: Hong Kong, Macau and the United States of America. I’m writing this entry because I’m considered on a roll for the past 3 years because of my yearly trip out of the country and these tips have guided me:

1- NO ID, NO ENTRY. Bring your passport everywhere go and I mean everywhere. Just guard it with your life. As a supplement, it would be good to bring your driver's license. You'll never know when you'll need these IDs.

2- MORE MONEY. I'm pretty sure you'll bring a handsome sum of money since you're in a foreign land but make sure you bring small amounts (read as coins) as well. You may need it for parking meters, make a phone call (mayroon pa ba nun) or whatever.

3- ANG PLASTIC MO! For non credit card fans like me, it's a must that you bring a card as well. The reality is that there are transactions that can best be handled by this payment method. And if you run out of cash, you can always use the cash advance feature of the card.

4- LIGHTER IS BETTER. This is more of a choice and I choose to travel light. Bring only what's necessary. There are some items that will be available in the hotels or you can buy disposable hence no need to bring from your country of origin. Another tip is not to bring BIG items like a toothpaste. You won't completely consume it anyway.

5- DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Just like during our school days, do your assignment. Although this time nobody's going to check. Must have information include: plot your itinerary, know the important contact numbers & address (hotel, airport, the Philippine embassy, your bank or its affiliate, your cellular phone network provider or its affiliate) and detailed directions per leg.

6- COMFY. Wear comfortable but appropriate clothes. If you’re going to a forever summer state like Florida, lose the fur coat. If you’re going to Canada or somewhere in northern US, a thermal undergarment will be your best friend. Also expect a lot of walking (tricycles are non existent in the countries that I’ve visited) hence I’d go for a comfortable pair of shoes over a stylish one. Sneakers are still the best!

7- DISPENSABLE. While it’s required to bring nice clothes for the endless photo shoots, bring clothes that you can let go. You'll never know if you'll need to leave some to free space for the new stuff.

8- WEIGHT WEENIE. You have to watch your weight referring to your baggage weight. Most international flights allow 70 lbs. maximum. It’s best that you check with your airline. Domestic flights usually allow 50 lbs. maximum. I learned it the hard way when I paid $50 during a flight from LAX to JFK. And we were only talking here about a 5 lbs. excess.

9- MEDICINE. The last thing you want to check out during time pressed travel is a drug store. Make sure you have enough medicine during your travel. It would help if you have a doctor’s certification stating why you need such medicines.

10- BEST BUY. Buy only stuff that you need, can't buy in your home base and cheaper if bought abroad. Else, just buy it at home especially if the difference is below 10%.

The Answer

The pessimist in me says "life is unfair" while the optimist in me says "bring it on!"

What is life about?

Is it about the wealth that you amass?

How popular you are?

The number of people you are able to help?

How you raised your children?

The number of countries you have visited?

Your impact on other people’s career?

Is it a combination of all?

I don't know the answer yet.

My biggest fear is how much time I have to find the answer.

Araw ng Kagitingan in Bataan

It was a perfect day in February 2004 when the ultimate mountain bike ride happened. The trail is called Mt Samat Bataan. The jump off point was Total gas station in Roman Highway in Hermosa, Bataan. As early as 6am, mt bikers started converging and setting up for this ride. Close to forty mt bikers from Manila, Angeles, Bataan and Tarlac joined forces to make this ride special.

It was already around 8am when we started rolling. The trail actually covered 3 towns: Hermosa, Pilar and Bagac. It was a misnomer in a sense because it was called Mount Samat but you won't actually traverse it but instead make it a trail marker. The trail goes around Mt Samat and throughout the ride, the big cross will ALWAYS be on your left.

The trail is about 60 kilometers long, 70% off road and 80% of the ride time is uphill. The highlights of the trail include: a refrigerator cool potable spring, picturesque view of the Bataan Peninsula and a chance to view the natural habitat of our friendly leftist group (NPAs).
The trail is composed of single tracks, fire roads and mini rock climbs, canopy of trees and dig this - a one hour plus downhill. Good thing I was riding a full suspension bike.

I know what you did last Holy Week

Holy Week is probably the most awaited period every year. This is the only time where you would love Metro Manila’s traffic situation since at least 70% of the metro dwellers would be vacationing in the provinces. Top destinations include Boracay, Puerto Gallera and Baguio. For my family, the long vacation will be spent in our hometown Tarlac City. Topping my things to do list is sleep followed by sleep and sleep some more. Then if I get enough sleep, I’d probably sleep some more. Pretty mundane you say? This is actually exciting for me. This is a chance for me to recharge my aging body. Here’s how I kept myself busy the whole week:

Monday:
I went to HSBC which was a stone’s throw away from our place to get my free laptop bag. T’was a neat black and gray back pack. It was time to replace my old laptop carrier so the new one was a product of loyalty points that I accumulated. In my excitement to get my new toy, I was a bit late for a meeting which is a no-no. It was the birthday of a good friend and officemate, the plump Tony E. He’d be one of the friends that I’ll keep after my life in SMT.

Tuesday:
I went on leave on this day. Morning was spent in St. Luke’s hospital for a periodic medical exam. The med exam cost P60,000! Whew! Good thing the company shouldered it else I would have succumbed to a disease called gastos dikokayatos. In the afternoon, we were practically running after time as we lined up 3 things to do but was only able to do 2, more like 1.5. Judy as able to complete her passport processing in DFA Pasay while the kids and I bonded at SM Mall of Asia. I don’t like the mall, it’s just too big! The next to do was claim my PAL Mabuhay Miles in their Legaspi Village office. Too bad there wasn’t any Hkg morning flights available.

Wednesday:
It was supposed to be a half day work today but I wanted to do a lot so I don’t have to carry the burden come Holy week hence poured on some more hours. I finally completed the performance appraisal exercise and proudly announced to my SLuz teammates that 4 of them were either upgraded or promoted during the Y2006 appraisal period. In the afternoon, we brought the kids to the park then in the evening, we checked out Tiendesitas in Pasig. We ate dinner at the Pride of Tarlac, Bonnie’s barbeque grille. The food was great especially their specialty which is ??? You guessed it, barbeque! Now guess what her name is? The fact that the owner is my first cousin is just a bonus.

Thursday:
En route to Tarlac City, we passed by Tiendesitas to pick up my cousin Jay S. who hitched a ride. Good thing he was around because we blew up a tire in North Luzon expressway and he helped me change the tire. That was not his only contribution though because he loaded us with tons of words of wisdoms and stories. I especially like the “Bad luck, good luck, who knows.” story. When we reached Tarlac in the afternoon, that was the queue of my sleep mode. ZZZ

Friday:
Morning was spent planning for HKG trip. I fixed our itinerary, list of possible expenses and other related stuff. It would be my 3rd trip to the crown colony in my lifetime. In the afternoon, my family and I attended a procession in honor of the Santo Entiero. The 1 hour walking procession took us around downtown Tarlac. This is probably the 17th straight year that I’ve attended the procession. In the evening, we had dinner at my Lolo’s place in Mabini where we usually have Good Friday dinner. We also had the chance to speak to our parents via an IDD call.

Saturday:
Today, we were originally scheduled to test drive our soon to be SUV the 3G Honda CR-V but that won’t happen because they too were on vacation. The tire stores in Tarlac too are on vacation. The day was spent practically lazing around the house doing what I originally set to do – sleep! After dinner, we went to my good friend Tikyo’s house. Tikyo has been a very good friend since 5th grade. That’s more that 2 decade of friendship.

Sunday:
Morning was spent watching Sponge Bob, Dora the Explorer and Cinderella 3 with my daughter. We heard mass in the afternoon at the church near my in-laws place. The church had an easter egg hunt afterwards but we weren’t too lucky in that exercise. Dinner was a treat at Hon Kee Tea House by my cousin Pipo who was celebrating his birthday. My only exercise for the week happened when we played basketball with my cousins and nephews after dinner and until 2 in the morning.

Monday:
Still no work today because it is Araw ng Kagitingan. I think this day is equivalent to US’s 4th of July. I wonder if Filipino producer’s will do a movie entitled AK 9 similar to Will Smith’s ID 4. They have a knack of copying American movies anyways. It’s back to reality for me. I wanted to leave Tarlac for Manila early so I could avoid the traffic. But the plan wouldn’t materialize because we had to replace my Asian Ute’s tires. It was actually scheduled for replacement as soon as we get back from Hkg but my trusty Toyota sent me clear message that his shoes need to be replaced pronto! I had to fork out P5,000 plus of unexpected expense. I just made HSBC 3.5% richer and I say I’m happy that they gave me a laptop bag? Sheesh! I should have asked for brand new tires instead of that bag. Hey HSBC, please include Pirelli tires in your loyalty points line up.

During the Holy Week, I originally planned to sleep a lot, attend a procession, play with the kids, ride my bike, go to the farm and finish reading 3 books. That I was able to do 50% was good enough. Until the next Holy Week!

Top Ten Car Tips

I am an individual who has an above average knowledge in automobiles. The tips that I’d like to share with you in this entry are highlights of my three and a half decades experience with cars. Yes, I’ve been a car lover ever since I was an infant. You may ask my parents if my claim is true. Here’s my contribution:

1. BLOWGAS. This should be done at least once a month or every time you have a long trip. BLOWGAS stands for:
a. Battery – A car battery should be replaced ideally every 2 years. Don’t wait for it to run dry before you replace it. In between those two years have the water solution checked.
b. Lights – Just like your house’s light bulb, there’s actually no standard period on when to replace it. It really depends on how often you use it. Logic dictates that the more often you use it, the faster is its lifespan. Hence, it is important that you constantly check if your lights (headlights both dim and bright, park lights, turn lights, brake lights and high mount brake lights or third brake light) are in good condition.
c. Oil – There are generally 3 types of oil; engine motor oil, transmission oil and differential oil. The first two are easily accessible via the engine. Just pop the hood and look for the labels. The 3rd one should be checked by a qualified mechanic.
d. Water – You must check the radiator water level and the wiper washer. These are two different containers that service two different systems. For the radiator, it helps to use a radiator coolant while for the wiper washer, you may use a solution. Don’t interchange these two additives.
e. GAS – Have gas, will run…this is the most basic requirement of any automobile. In this day and age, aside from fuel tank indicators, we have cars that tell you how many miles or kilometers to go before your fuel runs out. The best exercise is to often have your tank in full. Most people wait for the gas gauge to indicate empty before filling up.
The easier way to check this is to visit your friendly neighborhood gasoline station and have the gasoline attendant check it out.

2. TIRES – Having the correct tire pressure would equate to fuel efficiency. You can check out the owner’s manual or driver’s side door for the prescribed tire pressure. Tires should be replaced every two years. Don’t wait for it to get worn out. Here’s a tipid tip; replace only two tires, usually the front. After 6 months, replace the two old ones. To get equal tire exposure, you should ideally rotate the tires every 6 months.

3. AIRCON – Imagine, riding your car without air conditioning in this ultra hot summer season…to borrow my daughter’s line, “it’s the worse ever!” Make sure you have your aircon checked once ever 2 years. The aircon accumulates dust as fast as you can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

4. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE – Nothing beats PM or preventive maintenance. PM is usually done by your car manufacturer’s after sales service department every 5,000 and/or 10,000 kilometers. The PM normally has a 100 point check which includes most of the car’s mechanical and electonic parts. Preventive Maintenance is a lot better practice that the very inconvenient and less economical Reactive Maintenance.

5. GET AWAY MODE – When parking, always aim to park on a get a way mode. This means your car’s rear should be facing the wall. The advantage of this is that you can easily leave the site (no need to back off) and it saves time. Just take note of the “Park facing the wall” instructions.

6. AUTO DETAIL – For car lover’s like me who have no time (and no patience) to splurge in regular car wax, here’s a solution. There’s a car capricho called Perma Shine which can be done once a year. What it does is it maintains the luster of your car. With this, you don’t have to wax your car monthly. It might cost an arm and a leg though but look at the long term benefits. You will definitely get verbatim such as “Your car looks as shiny as the day it left the casa.”

7. MUST HAVE TOOLS – Here are the tools that you must have in your car’s trunk: tire wrench, hydraulic jack, air compressor, jumper cable, cable ties, tow cable, spare fan belts, ample volume of brake fluid, motor oil, radiator coolant, and a mineral water. It’s best to adopt the Boy Scout tenet “Laging Handa.” As important as having the resources ready, make sure you know how to apply or use them.

8. MUST HAVE ACCESSORIES – Here are the accessories that you must have in your car: fog lamps and back up sensor. Most high end cars have these as standard equipment. In case you car budget only allows for a base model, have these installed. Fog lamps cost from $50 to $150 depending on the brand but the cost outweighs the benefits especially if you’re having difficulty driving at night. Back up sensor cost $150 to $300 again depending on the brand. Nothing beats OEM or Original Equipment from the Manufacturer. This is the ultimate rear bumper saver and parking aide. If they were to give an award for the most innovative car accessory, this product gets my vote.

9. NEW CAR – The reality is there is no perfect car for an individual. The next best thing is to narrow the gap between your requirements and what the car companies can offer. I’ve given advices to families and friends about what car to purchase; some are happy, some sad and some don’t talk to me anymore :) My advice is follow a 2 step approach: 1- Use factor rating (which can be found in one of my earlier blog entries) and 2- Follow your heart.

10. PRE-OWNED CAR – So your current budget can only get you a segunda mano. Thou shall not fret, some pre-owned cars are even better than brand new ones if we are talking about value for money. I’d get a slightly used 2002 Honda Civic LXi any day over a 2007 Hyundai Getz. Just remember that the mechanical and electronic parts are more important that the car paint. A big misnomer is that if the exterior is nice (original paint or nicely done paint job) the car is automatically branded as sariwa.

A car is like a living thing, treat it well and it’ll give you the service you that invest on.

The 3peat according to MJ

What's the similarity between MPJ (Michael Peoples Jordan) and DSL? They both delivered a 3peat in their 7th year of service. While Air Jordan did in on the basketball court, DieSeL did it in the corporate setting. MJ delivered the first world basketball champion 3peat in 91, 92 and 93 for the Chicago Bulls. DSL helped deliver an outstanding region 3peat in '04, '05 and '06 for the South Luzon WC operation.

I've always idolized Air Jordan. I have tons of MJ stuff like a complete DVD collection of his documentaries, numerous posters, a Jordan 5 shoe, basketball magazines like Sports Illustrated and Basketball Digest with him on cover. In basketball, the closest accolade was champion medal in college in a streetball (3 on 3) competition. We didn't repeat though.

MJs formula for success: 1- he constantly creates CHALLENGES for himself and the team. 2- While he was a good individual ball player, it was TEAMWORK that brought home the bacon. 3- he was very PASSIONATE with the game or his profession. This pretty much sums up our similarities.

TOP TEN Quotes

What's the difference between a quote, a maxim, a saying, a proverb, an adage? Practically nothing! They're basically inspirational thoughts and may have multiple interpretations. Here's my top ten list:

1- Strategies will only remain as strategies unless implemented. – DSL
2- The squeaky wheel gets the oil – First heard from ARM, my former superior.
3- As your career progresses, people will always talk about you. Your aim is that they'll always say something good. - DSL
4- The problem is not what we know but how we use it. - Steven Lesser
5- The Golden Rule : "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." - Confucius
6- In this day and age, what's important is who you know, not what you know. – First heard from my mother
7- Give a man a fish and you'll feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you'll feed him for life. – a Chinese proverb
8- How can you win against someone who doesn't even know the rules of the game - Garfield (the lovable feline)
9- Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country - JFK

10- It is not how much you save but when you start to save that determines your wealth - Francisco Colayco (the author of Wealth within your reach)

TOP TEN

This blog entry jumpstarts a series of TOP TEN according to DSL. My aim is to release two entries every month. I hope this will further spur interest in my blogsite and be able to help the readers in my own little way. Feedback are welcome; you may email (dslhummer2002@yahoo.com), send an sms, ym, telegram, a snail mail, use whatever medium as long as the message reaches me. And thank you for constantly reading my blog.

The Sun @ TSU

One of my dream things to do is to be a guest speaker during Tarlac State University's commencement exercise. When I used to head Tarlac City wireless center in my early twenties, I was invited to speak in a conference of college of business & economics graduating students. The topic was about careers after college. I recall speaking about how I got the job, my job responsibilities and my advice to these people who were about to join the workforce. During the Q&A portion, the funny question that was asked and was not a bit related to the topic is if I'm already married. The answer then was I was "young, free and single." If asked now, the answer would be "happily."