Proud and Hoping

It is now May 11th, a day after the polls closed results are out from more than three-quarters of the votes cast.

And I am teary-eyed.

Just a few minutes ago, I saw on TV Gibo Teodoro conceed defeat to front-runner Noynoy Aquino. Earlier in the morning, it was Manny Villar who called it quits. For the first time, I saw men who just weeks ago were going at each other's throats (well, maybe not Gibo) just to get the votes, on tv, in a sportsman's gentlemanly fashion, tell their supporters that it was time to move on - - - that the people have spoken - - - and that the guy at the front has been chosen to lead us and needs our help.

Man! Watching them say these made my spine tingle. I really could not believe that our politicians had it in them the humility to bow to the people's will.

For the record, I am not pro-Noynoy. My candidate lost. But like Gibo, Villar, Gordon and the others - - - and multitudes of Filipinos, I believe that it is time to move on.

I am PROUD.

I am proud that I voted for Gordon. I am proud for Sen. Gordon for conceeeding.

I am proud for Manny Villar and Gibo Teodoro. Not because I was rooting for them, not only because of their humility, but because they are Filipinos. CNN and others had their cameras trained on us and probably caught these men on TV during their finest hour . Yes, I think it was their finest hour when they talked to the cameras and threw in the towel. In time, these videos will make it to the net and spread. And then the world will see that we are not as backward as was perceived.

I am proud for all Filipinos who voted. It was democracy at its finest. Waiting and standing in line for two, four to six hours was no mean feat.

And now I am hoping.

I am hoping that the newly-elected leaders will stand true to their promises.

I am hoping that Noynoy stand out of the shadows of his parents and be his own man.

I am hoping that the rest of the country will give these men and women a fair chance to do their jobs.

Key Take-Aways from Intel

Eight months ago, a chapter in my relatively-colorful life ended. I left the the company I worked for (Intel Philippines) as it eventually shut down operations. We blamed it on the global economic crisis (let that be the official record).

I was sifting though some old files and CDs yesterday, doing some housekeeping to dispose of unneeded stuff. I came across several backup CDs of my files from my work at Intel. Reviewing them - my first emails, my first weekly, monthly and yearly accomplishment reports, my last email (a farewell message), my transition reports (Yeah, I was that diligent in archiving all of these), I reliazed that I haven't really closed-down that chapter of my life with a FINAL REPORT.

So here it is, as my previous bosses would have me put it.

My Key Take-Aways from Intel

#5 - The Places:

My first plane ride,
My first out-of-country trip,
Getting lost somewhere in Shanghai where hardly anybody speaks english,
Getting a massage in Chengdu (yeah, that was memorable),
Overspeeding in Arizona,
Getting splashed with orange juice when the plane jerked upon entering a turbulence --- over the South China Sea,
Getting to know Palawan and the Underground River, Bacolod, Baguio,
Grilling freshly-caught fish in a beach in Mindoro.

Ah, those were fun!

#4 - The Trainings - Intel trained me well. The Ric who came out was hardly the Ric who came in. The company really took care of its people. It made me grow technically and personally. The most meaningful trainings I attended (the ones that probably defined me) were the PSI-delivered Personal Leadership Workshop and Management Thru People. These were the trainings (and more) wherein I was at the receiving end. There were also trainings wherein I was the instructor - trainings that made me realize my love of teaching. "To Teach is To Learn Twice", said an adage.

#3 - The Events - building a house for the Habitat for Humanity, hosting a christmas event for poor school childern, the eat-outs, the take-outs, the teambuildings, the outings. "All work and no play makes totoy a dull boy". We didn't get a chance to get around much but these were moments when we threw work out of the window and enjoyed and shared blessings to people and the community.

#2 - The People - Friends, Officemates, Superiors and Mentors. People who made me laugh, who laughed at my corny jokes, who gave advice, who taught me, those who made me feel how good-looking I am, those who shared light moments and hard times - - - not to mention those who gave me a hard time. I always believe that we are all teachers to one another - - - for every person we meet, we pick up pieces of ourselves.

#1 - My family - I met my lovely and loving wife at this company. We now have two wonderful kids. They are the love of my life. The reason why I strive to get the best for them. For they deserve so much more.

All of these wouldn't have happened without work but at the end of it all, it is not the work that gets remembered - not the weekly reports, indicators, yield, cost-savings nor the meetings and the all-hands-meetings. Instead, what sticks are the times shared with the people and the people themselves. It is the humanity in work that gets the front seat when time comes to reminisce. So with that in mind, I bring these knowledge with me to my new adventure.

Thank You Intel! Signing Off.

Signing back in

Last post on blog was made over a year ago. Boy, time flew so fast.

Let's see, let me make a rundown of the things that have happened over the course of the year:

The company I used to work for (Intel) closed down its site in the Philippines.

I went into transition after that, I put up a small business which is related to my passion - computers and everything that got a cpu, a monitor, a mouse and a keyboard in it. A wise old owl in the past once told me that entering into a business, any business, won't be a walk in the park. Man, how correct he was. The business started to fly about six months after it started.

I then got a call from a company who wanted my services. I said yes. And so my new adventure begins.

Barack Obama's Inaugural Address

Obama's Inaugural Address (Part 1)

Part 2

US Economic Collapse coming...

And here are the visionaries who've seen it coming. Bud sadly... their cries for change have gone unheard... like wails of wolves in a wilderness...

For Working Dads - My Lessons on Fatherhood

I am a father of two --- a cute and pesky 4-year old girl and cute and not-so-pesky one-year old. I guess many working dads like me struggle to keep up with the energy of kids today. It's a full-time job and its hard. Sometimes I wonder, how do other dads do it. Well, here are a few tricks of mine.

Make time for them - i go off work at 4pm, arrive at home around 5pm. Between that and the time they go to sleep at around 7-8pm, I only have 1-2 hours to spend with the kids. I make sure that I am with them the whole time --- running around playing games (we still play tag) or simply watching their favorite DVDs. Family time is scarce these days but there is a fixed amount of time everyday (say, 8 hours) for work.

Give the kids a hug and a kiss when you get home - make it a habit and soon you'll see that everytime youo get home, they'll come running to you.

If you got time to spare during weekends and day-offs, spend it with family - I do my push-ups, dumb bell routines with kids in tow. And we've got lots of bonding moments --- me doing the push-ups with a kid on my back, me lifting both kids on either arm as weights and many more.

Give the kids a kiss and whisper them "I love you so much" before they sleep - Trust me, this works. Whats comes around, goes around. One time, I slept a bit early while the kids are still awake. My daughter sneaked up to my bed and whispered to my ear, in her broken and spotty English, "daddy, alabyusomuch, mwah!".

Joketime --- Pressure, Stress and Panic

Definitions:

Pressure - This is what you feel when your wife is pregnant.

Stress - This is what you feel when your girlfriend is pregnant.

Panic - This is what you feel when your wife and girlfriend are both pregnant --- at the same time!

Hahaha!