I read Joey Concepcion’s Go Negosyo to understand how successful Filipino entrepreneurs made it. I wanted to see which industries they ventured into and what methods they used to start and grow their businesses. Since the book is a compilation of two page profiles, it does not go into a lot of detail regarding how a particular entrepreneur decided on what business to start and the hard work and thinking that went behind building a business empire. Nevertheless, reading about the story of business moguls like Henry Sy, John Gokongwei and Andrew Tan, and realizing they all built their fortune from scratch inspires me to dream about generating my own wealth.
I want to be rich not just because I want to retire early. I want to have financial freedom, which will allow me to pursue things I have always wanted to do, but could not do because I needed to pay the bills. I want to be able to travel and immerse myself in other cultures. I want to learn more foreign languages. I want to appreciate art, and perhaps create art. I want to read history, do research, and write history.
Beyond my own personal dreams, I feel I owe it to society to be rich. I have been given with enough intelligence that it would be inexcusable not to become rich. And by having enough money to transcend my personal needs, I will be in a position to help more people have a better life.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
1421: The Year China Discovered America
Gavin Menzies aims to rewrite history by making the extraordinary claim that not only did the Chinese discover the New World, they actually sailed around the world almost a century before Magellan did. Academic historians criticize Menzies for his claims, but I found many of his arguments plausible, and I truly enjoyed reading his work.
I actually envy Menzies because he is exactly the sort of historian I would like to be. Like him, I would like to pursue my passion in history by writing something revolutionary yet I do not see myself becoming a full time professor, at least not yet. I would like to research and write for the sheer pleasure of it rather than simply satisfy academic requirements or write theses only a few old historians would care to read. Why, if my wife can pay for my travel and research like his wife does, then I can probably write that Filipinos discovered Spain instead of the other way around!
Conventional history accepts that the Chinese did explore the Indian Ocean and reached all the way to East Africa. It is also acknowledged that Admiral Zeng He's fleet was the largest the world had ever seen. Whether they actually rounded the Cape of Good Hope or not does not diminish the greatness of Ming China.
I actually envy Menzies because he is exactly the sort of historian I would like to be. Like him, I would like to pursue my passion in history by writing something revolutionary yet I do not see myself becoming a full time professor, at least not yet. I would like to research and write for the sheer pleasure of it rather than simply satisfy academic requirements or write theses only a few old historians would care to read. Why, if my wife can pay for my travel and research like his wife does, then I can probably write that Filipinos discovered Spain instead of the other way around!
Conventional history accepts that the Chinese did explore the Indian Ocean and reached all the way to East Africa. It is also acknowledged that Admiral Zeng He's fleet was the largest the world had ever seen. Whether they actually rounded the Cape of Good Hope or not does not diminish the greatness of Ming China.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Celestine Vision
I have not read James Redfield's Celestine Prophecy so I was not able to appreciate fully this book's recommendations on living with spiritual awareness. I did glean from the book that his earlier works highlight mysterious coincidences as unique opportunities to learn more about our life purpose. Synchronicity include events such as thinking about someone and seeing him on the same day, or dreaming about something only for it to appear in reality. Seemingly unrelated events converge to create special meaning.
I am not comfortable enough with these concepts to go out and preach about them. There is enough of the skeptical scientist in me to keep me from really exploring these ideas in detail. However, I have learned enough about life to suspend my disbelief and keep an open mind. There are things we cannot rationally explain. There are critical turning points in my life that seem to have been part of God's plan even though these events appeared meaningless or even sad at the time they happened. For example, my career would not have progressed as fast as it did had I not been rejected by IBM the first time I applied.
On the other hand, I do not want to read too much meaning in coincidences. I do not know how to explain it but I still believe in human agency and our ability to determine our future. Yet at the same time, I am humble enough to admit that there is a lot beyond our control. And I am comfortable with the idea that I cannot resolve this apparent contradiction.
I am not comfortable enough with these concepts to go out and preach about them. There is enough of the skeptical scientist in me to keep me from really exploring these ideas in detail. However, I have learned enough about life to suspend my disbelief and keep an open mind. There are things we cannot rationally explain. There are critical turning points in my life that seem to have been part of God's plan even though these events appeared meaningless or even sad at the time they happened. For example, my career would not have progressed as fast as it did had I not been rejected by IBM the first time I applied.
On the other hand, I do not want to read too much meaning in coincidences. I do not know how to explain it but I still believe in human agency and our ability to determine our future. Yet at the same time, I am humble enough to admit that there is a lot beyond our control. And I am comfortable with the idea that I cannot resolve this apparent contradiction.
Monday, July 4, 2011
1000 Places to See Before You Die
Reading Patricia Schultz 1000 Places to See Before You Die was sheer delight. She manages to capture in just a few paragraphs the history and the magic of a particular place. I know I cannot possibly visit all of the places in the book, but it does make me want to get rich faster so I can retire earlier and visit as many as I can. I also now have a good idea of the best places to stay in in the cities covered by the book. Most of the hotels she features are high end, but I do not really mind as part of the reason I travel is I want to experience the good life. I normally travel with two kids so staying at a hostel and being "authentic" is not really an option.
The book has almost 1000 pages, but I looked forward to reading it everyday until I finally managed to travel around the world vicariously by reading about one thousand beautiful places. It will take some planning, and a lot of saving, but I definitely want to see and experience the world, and this book has managed to fire up my wanderlust even more. My family is taking baby steps by exploring the country and neighboring countries first. So this December, we will be spending New Year's eve in Hong Kong. Too bad we cannot afford a room at the Peninsula yet, one of the featured hotels in the book and reportedly one of the best in the world, but I will make sure we savor views of the harbor. I cannot wait for the New Year countdown. This time we will see fireworks over one of the most beautiful cityscapes in the world rather than just another Manila street seen from another hotel in Manila.
The book has almost 1000 pages, but I looked forward to reading it everyday until I finally managed to travel around the world vicariously by reading about one thousand beautiful places. It will take some planning, and a lot of saving, but I definitely want to see and experience the world, and this book has managed to fire up my wanderlust even more. My family is taking baby steps by exploring the country and neighboring countries first. So this December, we will be spending New Year's eve in Hong Kong. Too bad we cannot afford a room at the Peninsula yet, one of the featured hotels in the book and reportedly one of the best in the world, but I will make sure we savor views of the harbor. I cannot wait for the New Year countdown. This time we will see fireworks over one of the most beautiful cityscapes in the world rather than just another Manila street seen from another hotel in Manila.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
I do not remember much detail from Murakami's novel other than that two separate plot lines eventually converge in the end while he takes the reader through an endless series of twists and turns.
I recall reading and finishing this book during the first few days of Magnus at Waldorf. Straight from my night shift and with hardly any sleep, I was actually as excited to go school as him. Waldorf, located on top of a mountain in San Mateo more than half an hour away, served as a momentary refuge from the stress of work. Reading in the van about the adventures of a human encryption machine and the parallel world in his head served as a welcome chance for silence and solitude. There could not be any more ideal setting to continue reading than Waldorf. The school is bordered on one side by a forested ridge while, all around, one has a magnificent view of Manila and Laguna Lake. Those first few days were tiring, to be sure, but they were soothing to the soul.
Murakami's penchant for characters who drink scotch may have been partly responsible for my own preference for drinking whisky. I only wish I can also acquire the good taste of his characters for music. While I listen to more classical music than the average 26 year old, I do not have the fine taste they have for specific recordings of classical pieces. Nor do I have as much knowledge about jazz and the other relaxing songs he plays in his novels.
Finding time to commune with nature and appreciate art are both important in ensuring I have a sense of balance even as I grapple with the challenges of being a young father and manager.
I recall reading and finishing this book during the first few days of Magnus at Waldorf. Straight from my night shift and with hardly any sleep, I was actually as excited to go school as him. Waldorf, located on top of a mountain in San Mateo more than half an hour away, served as a momentary refuge from the stress of work. Reading in the van about the adventures of a human encryption machine and the parallel world in his head served as a welcome chance for silence and solitude. There could not be any more ideal setting to continue reading than Waldorf. The school is bordered on one side by a forested ridge while, all around, one has a magnificent view of Manila and Laguna Lake. Those first few days were tiring, to be sure, but they were soothing to the soul.
Murakami's penchant for characters who drink scotch may have been partly responsible for my own preference for drinking whisky. I only wish I can also acquire the good taste of his characters for music. While I listen to more classical music than the average 26 year old, I do not have the fine taste they have for specific recordings of classical pieces. Nor do I have as much knowledge about jazz and the other relaxing songs he plays in his novels.
Finding time to commune with nature and appreciate art are both important in ensuring I have a sense of balance even as I grapple with the challenges of being a young father and manager.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Bohol 2011
My Lakbayan grade is C!
How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!
Created by Eugene Villar.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Nurture Shock
My two boys are now vastly different from what they were just one year ago. They are growing so fast even their personalities keep on changing. I find that what worked for them one year ago does not work anymore today. I am, therefore, not surprised as Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman demolish accepted truths about parenting simply by examining the scientific evidence. Truths such as the power of self esteem in ensuring success. Anyone who watches American Idol will see that indiscriminate praise has not led to a generation of successful Americans, but a generation who grew up with an extreme sense of entitlement but little understanding of the value of hard work.
Bronson and Merryman also go on to cast doubts on the value of screening for so called gifted children at an early age with many "gifted" children turning out not so gifted after all. And if teaching children a foreign language by exposing them to Baby Einstein videos sounds like it's too easy, that's because it's not that easy.
Destroying parenting myths does not mean Bronson and Merryman have arrived at new certainties. If anything, this book only underscores how much we do not know about parenting. My key takeaway is the reminder to be humble about the extent to which I can control my children's lives through excessive parenting. I can provide them a platform on which to perform through emotional and financial support, but what they ultimately choose to do on that stage can never be predicted by science.
Bronson and Merryman also go on to cast doubts on the value of screening for so called gifted children at an early age with many "gifted" children turning out not so gifted after all. And if teaching children a foreign language by exposing them to Baby Einstein videos sounds like it's too easy, that's because it's not that easy.
Destroying parenting myths does not mean Bronson and Merryman have arrived at new certainties. If anything, this book only underscores how much we do not know about parenting. My key takeaway is the reminder to be humble about the extent to which I can control my children's lives through excessive parenting. I can provide them a platform on which to perform through emotional and financial support, but what they ultimately choose to do on that stage can never be predicted by science.
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