Blog Pictures

For my past few entries, I have posted pictures of the city of Asheville in western North Carolina. We went there one weekend during the annual ‘Belle Cherie’ festival where people sell all sorts of stuff and food along its streets. It’s a nice little city up in the hills with cool weather and interesting shops and places to eat. Some people call it an artist colony where a lot of free-wheeling spirits live and roam. Perhaps it’s an artist colony because one of America greatest writer – Thomas Wolfe was born there. I visited his home which was converted into a museum. It was actually a boarding house run by his mother and depicted in his best books. It was the first time I visited an actual writer’s home and one could imagine the influence in the writer’s mind.


Last weekend I brought my folks to the Biltmore house near downtown Ashville. I got 2 tickets at a discount. While my folks where in the museum, I walked the Deer park trail. I walked in the hills for about 2 hours, reaching the nearby French Broad River. It was a nice walk with excellent weather. I first walked through the gardens of Biltmore, the Italian garden where they played tennis and the flower garden along the wall facing the rolling hills of North Carolina. The guide said that Vanderbilt planted 5 million trees in his estate and the greatest value he ever gave was the start of the first managed forest. It was the inspiration of his landscape architect – Frank Olmstead. Olmstead was the mentor of Daniel Burnham – the architect who built Burnham Park in Baguio city in the Philippines.


The walk through the estate grounds was fun with good air and exercise. I did not realize that the whole grounds were man-made from the imagination of Olmstead. Nevertheless it was an enjoyment walking and seeing hills and the river. Some people say that the greatest achievement of Theodore Roosevelt was his conservation efforts which turned famous landmarks like Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and Yellowstone park plus millions of forest acres into parks protected by the federal government. I agree and Ken Burns has a new documentary about America’s parks which would be interesting to see. I think this is one of the things that make America great, its love for nature. This trait is similar to the Japanese who also love nature and who create one of the most elegant and sublime gardens and parks in the world.


Last Saturday evening, my friends came over and we had a barbecue. We had a nice time in the back patio that I had enclosed with a fence. I had plant a few palm trees but I fear that the tropical palms may die in winter. I also bought a few plants in the weekend that I will keep outside but bring in during the winter. I guess I have to keep abreast of the types of plants can be planted in this region. I bought that plants at Wal-Mart and I need to buy mulch to keep the moisture. My mom and dad met our friends and as usual had a good time talking with them with my mom charming them with her stories. I like my folks here and wish they could stay longer. We had a nice time driving to Biltmore for about 1 1/2 hours listening to old songs by Tony Bennet.

I took a lot of pictures in the Biltmore estate and I plan to post them here. I had already posted similar pictures of the estate taken during our last visit there. But this time, most of the pictures are of the forest trails and gardens and plants. The attraction this season is the flower carpet which gave me some ideas on what to plant in my patio. I will post these pictures in my future posts. I guess I should place some captions for my dear readers as I intended the blog to be a more a free-wheeling photo and reflections journey. Sometimes I look at my blog to learn more about myself, to see the photos I took, the books that I read, my thoughts at that time and the topics I am interested in. One can never be too old for self awareness I guess.

From Diarist to Blogger

I have made the transition from diarist to blogger. A diarist is sort of a lonely writer, prone perhaps to rants and uninhibited ramblings. Someone who has read too much and need an expressive outlet. Perhaps there is a tendency towards being neurotic with certain flights of fancy. The diarist does not write to please anyone but himself. Bloggers on the other hand, write to an audience (hopefully). So there exists some self-censorship and editorializing. So the blogger’s work is less personal than a diarist. I guess the grammar and diction also improves because there is an implicit understanding that his works are being read (hopefully).


A diarist on the other hand has no audience. Perhaps the diary is shown to close friends but that is all. A blog invites comments and feedback from everyone in the Internet. So one has an inclination to tone down his rhetoric to a level that is, at least, generally acceptable to a public audience. Both diarist and blogger on the other hand usually attempt some sort of self reflection or self analysis. Both attempt a sort of self expression and perhaps with literary aspirations. Both unfortunately are not avenues good enough to lay a foundation to be a successful writer. I guess it is just an urge to write and express oneself that is sated in whatever avenue is available.


Nevertheless, blogging is a more advanced outlet for writing than just writing a diary. As mentioned, there is self censorship (limits rants and neurotic ramblings), self editorializing (better grammar, spelling and diction) and a feedback loop (though meager) that may stimulate improvement. Also, there is better stimulation to write regularly because it provides an illusion of being a published writer. Perhaps it is this impression (perhaps self-deluding) of being a published writer that provides the best benefit by giving confidence to the would-be writer. The blogger can believe that he has an audience that is interested in what he has to say.


I had made this transition though still preserving some anonymity about three years ago. Blogging coincided with my experiences in Toastmaster and public speaking. So I guess this is some form of opening up into the world so to speak. I think both experiences have been beneficial and I recommend to most people who are in a similar path. Both experiences require one to express himself better with some feedback to improve. I guess this is some sort of dejected attempt to self develop a writer’s learning experience. Perhaps one did not have a public speaking career or a real writer’s career that both this avenues are substitutes for those who have started in a different career path.

Now is this enough? I guess it is the only way for some who do not have access to a writing path, like those famous writers who started as journalists. Perhaps it is an acceptable alternative for someone who had a few writing experience, who worked on post graduate degrees and work on projects or on a career path far from a true writer’s one. I guess making the transition from writing as therapy to writing as a skill or career is the true break here. I think making the move from being a diarist to a blogger will help achieve this psychological break from writing as therapy to being a true writer.

Stick to the Plan

Constancy is one of the most important ingredients for success. Staying the course is the company motto these days during this time of crisis. I guess it is also a relevant principle to maintain in one’s personal life. Sometimes the plan changes due to temptation and envy. In a public leader’s life, this would lead to accusations of being indecisive and weak. I guess from that point of view I may be considered to be vacillating although most of the struggle happens in my mind. This is where I stress myself because the mind is pulled in different directions. The trick is to remove all these divergent urges and just concentrate on a single plan.


I remember doing a project long ago after moving to Singapore. There were mixed results after it was completed. Along the way there where many proposals on how it should move forward. The local team also had their individual ideas. As project leader, I was also swayed by the ideas of other people. But in the end, due to the many possible directions, there was no choice but to proceed based on the original plan and focus. We had to pull together towards one direction or we would all go crazy. It may have ended in the wrong location at journey’s end but there was no denying it’s movement. At the point in time, the goal from my point of view was to achieve movement and momentum.


Afterward, all sorts of things have occurred which made that project one of the many passing fancies that will eventually be replaced by a global enterprise application. I guess from the point of view of the objectives at that time, the project was a success. Software was installed and delivered at least to one factory. Now the game has completely changed and the methods, procedures, tools and actors are completely different. At least, the project team did not waste their time because there was an attempt to complete and deliver a product following a limited set of objectives. It was an interesting job although the project team split into different loyalties as the project died down.

The lesson is to stick to the plan that made in the past, for example, with regards to finance and investment strategy. Sometimes one makes the mistake of changing the plan due to perceived new information or new conditions. In fact the change was only due to one’s emotions and desires. In this country there is no time for true reflection. The operative word here is ACTION: ‘just do it’ as Nike says. Any reflective thought is based on practical experience if any reflection is ever done. So in this society of movement and action, the normal scheme of things is to gain as much experience as possible. The Eastern principles of meditation or of not doing any ACTION but instead strive for inner reflection is an alien concept.

So how does one stick to the plan? I guess one has to have faith and confidence in oneself and the decisions he makes. The steadfastness quality can come from experience wherein people can look back at actual experiences and decide. Otherwise, assessing one’s learning via books and logic and have confidence when staying with a plan although maybe a bit risky. Another way is the so-called gut feel where ones learning, experience and instincts all come to play. I think I fall into this category where I am a more instinctive person and I follow my instincts closely in most of my projects. So visual thinking and clarification helps but sometimes one has to listen to his gut to succeed.

Talking Too Much – Part II

Another important aspect here is the clarity of one’s thinking. This is the hidden skill behind effective communication and successful public speaking. Hence one’s thinking skills needs to be sharpened first before speaking and this is the distinguishing mark. Last night, I read different articles on visual thinking which help one clarify his thoughts to generally improve the thinking process. So I guess there is a possible chain to success in this regard:

visual thinking -> clear thoughts -> effective communication -> successful public speaking.

I think the challenge today is that the world is too complex and nuanced that one need thinking aids such as visual tools like mind mapping to clarify thoughts to survive and communicate effectively. I think this is a pattern that has existed in the ages especially as one sees the cave drawings of primitive man. But the complexity of modern life needs more advanced visual tools than just simple drawings. Hence the success of mind mapping and other visual tools like flow charting to make sense of the world.


The conclusion then is to use visual tools to improve one’s thinking in order to communicate effectively. Once achieved one can only move up to the next step which is public speaking. It’s a subtle distinction because it changes that way one usually thinks. Hopefully mental noise is reduced and a clear focus and clarity is achieved as reflected in speaking or communicating. Clarity of thought results also in a good temperament which helps being effective. For instance, people write that Obama has a first class mind with a first class temperament. Similarly, FDR has a second rate mind with a first class temperament. But both persons where significantly successful leaders; though too early to tell yet of Obama. So perhaps clarity of mind contributes to a good temperament wherein intelligence does not significantly matter.


In my case, I think I have too much intelligence with less clarity of mind. This gives me a poor temperament in handling challenges. Perhaps I can be said to possess a second rate mind with a second rate temperament. Hence, following FDR one only needs to improve one’s temperament to be successful. Maybe the key here is to improve ones temperament by improving the clarity of one’s thoughts. In modern times, the effective tool to achieve this is visual thinking aids like mind-mapping and to be able to communicate effectively. Thinking is more an ‘internal’ skill while communicating is more an ‘external’ skill wherein both should be working at a high level to achieve a first class temperament.

Looking at it another way, talking too much gives the impression that one does not think. One is a blabber mouth. The common phrase is that still waters run deep – or the quiet person is a reflective person. So I guess that makes sense. So I guess I should reflect more before I speak by trying to analyze the implications and trying to put the impact of my words against what I want to achieve. Perhaps to put more strategy with regards to what I want to say and the impact of these words on the intended receiver. That is another thought but quite different for informal conversation. But maybe I talk too much because I think too much. In this scenario, the remedy is clarity of thought to convert verbiage to sensible phrases. Again visual thinking tools is the key to achieving clarity of thought but applied in a more reflective and strategic manner.

Talking Too Much – Part I

I realized since coming here that I blabber and talk too much. Perhaps this was an asset in Asia where speaking English is considered a good skill. But in the US this is not a good asset because everyone speaks English here (although Spanish is catching up). I had a similar feeling when I worked for 4 months in India. So speaking a lot does no have any value here as compared to other countries where English is not the main spoken language. So in this environment, speaking too much may need to be converted to speaking less. But this would not do because one will not have a chance to be known as everyone is encouraged to speak up and express his opinions.


So the next best thing is to be precise and speak honestly with integrity. Hence more thought should be taken before opening one’s mouth. Maybe a good analogy is that of a machine gun spewing out bullets all over the place as compared to one using a sniper’s rifle, picking out the appropriate targets with less effort or bullets. Nevertheless if one does proceed with a machine gun, it should be of a high quality than the usual run of the mill type. There are a lot of magnetic preachers and speakers around here that one has to be really good to rise up from the babbling speakers. Watching MSNBC or Fox Television is a good case in point where every man and his dog are just spewing out verbiage with out any precision or careful thought.


Making a good distinction in this regard are people like Abraham Lincoln and his present day protégé, Barack Obama. Both are master speakers but they are not the machine-gun type talkers who spew out elegant phrases for the consumption or entertainment of the masses. Of course they both have excellent speaking skills but what distinguishes them is the quality of their words and the careful thought process behind that which turn listeners from just being entertained to being enlightened and driven to action. I think their effectiveness are not only the well-crafted phrase but the sincerity and integrity and sensibleness or subtleness of their comments. This ability has allowed them to succeed in winning elections against great speakers who also possess incredible speaking skills.


The lesson here is that speaking English well is not enough to succeed. Careful and considered thought have to be behind the words. For example, joining Toastmaster here in the US is a different experience than joining Toastmasters in Asia. The main goal is not only to conquer the fear of public speaking but also to speak at a higher level than previously possible in a country that does not have English as the main language. One can argue that Spanish is also a well known language here but the goal here is effective communication rather than just public speaking. In other words, public speaking does not equate to being articulate. Being articulate should become second nature, like an instinctive reflex for one to be successful.

Financial Strategy

Yesterday I had a chance to think deeply about my financial situation and the strategy I plan to implement in the coming years. I guess I wanted to re-assess my plan after getting all the new input coming to me. Sometimes ego or jealousy or envy destroys ones previously laid out plans. For the moment, after mind mapping my thoughts and doing a strengths and weaknesses analysis, I conclude that my actions are still valid and practical. Of course I don’t get the big house or the nice car like my brother and friends but I guess it’s the prudent course. Applying all these tools help me think better and clarify my thoughts aside from my usual reflections.



My financial strategy is summarized in the following bullet points:

* Short to Medium term
1. Keep the townhouse to maintain low maintenance and living expenses
2. Save money to pay for kid’s college tuition
3. Invest in the stock market, CDs, etc,
4. Keep the Saturn but sell it after getting the 8K tax rebate
--a. Saturn needs to be replaced to a car with auto transmission as less risk to kids and to lower maintenance expenses
5. Travel to nearby states to increase learning for family but at low expense

* Long Term
1. Buy a much larger house after kids graduate from college
2. Purchase a new car, possible a hybrid for good value and mileage
3. Write a series of books to earn additional income
4. Sell or rent out the townhouse


This is the plan that I intend to follow for the coming years possible in a 2-5 year time frame with some periods of reassessment. It’s a good way to plan your expenses away from the emotional or impulse or feelings that often dictate these decisions. I guess ‘keeping up with the Jones’ is the equivalent to the Singapore ‘kiasu’ or to the Philippine ‘ingit’. So it’s the same everywhere.

I guess the next important task is to define an investment strategy. With the modest sum earned from the sale of the flat, where should one invest? Should it be the stock market, gold or real estate? In the past, most wise people would counsel regular investment in Exchange Traded Funds (ETF). If you know the stock market well, following Warren Buffet’s value investing is a good way. But with the recent turmoil, these advices entail more risk than never before. Real estate investing I have already done and I don’t think there is any other way to proceed again in this area. Now what about precious metals? A lot of television ads seem to make this option interesting.


So the possible alternatives looks like stock market investing via ETFs (safe way) or value investing with some research needed for stock picking. Researching on precious metals may also be a good option in case one decides to go this route. But one needs to be very careful; following Buffets dictum to avoid investing in areas where one has no knowledge about. One should avoid losing ones meager savings. Sometimes the stress of trying to earn additional money to pay for future expenses like tuition or retirement brings people to do risky things. Several weeks ago I spoke to a man who owned the pack mail franchise in a nearby mall. He said he was fully exposed in the stock market and still waiting to gain back his money. I am in the same boat with regards to my modest stock investment and will have to wait a long time before its previous values return.

Weekend with the Folks

We picked up my parents from the Atlanta airport last Friday. It was a longer drive than I expected. I should have advised them to use a much closer airport, perhaps in Charlotte, NC to benefit from the savings. I guess we saved about 100 dollars (which is the difference between the airport tax if they disembarked in the nearby airport), but driving to Atlanta was a pain. We got home at about 11pm and had dinner of pork chops and salad. My folks are staying with my kids in their room. It’s a bit cramped but it could fit all of them. I am afraid that they will distract my kids in their studies but the plan is to pick our kids up an hour or two after the end of their classes so they can study and do their assignments before coming home. It will be a bit crowded in the house during the month that my folks are here.


For the past few weeks, they stayed in my brother’s house before coming over. My brother bought a huge house in California; it was actually a foreclosure and it had a huge yard. With my parents with me this weekend, I had second thoughts about my house and had thoughts that I should have purchased a much larger detached home instead of the townhouse. But I think the investment will still pay off if I keep my wits and allow my kids to finish college before spending on a huge house. We had talked of my parents retiring with some ideas that they would retire in California and South Carolina. So I felt that I should have purchased a much larger place like my brother.


But putting aside my folk’s retirement plans, my brothers and friends larger homes, I still think I made a good decision to keep my investments prudent. I still believe that one’s home should only be about 30% or less of one’s investment portfolio. Purchasing a large home would reduce my cash flow and inhibit important expenses like my kid’s college expenses and crimp our lifestyle like traveling to other states for vacation. I think traveling with my kids to other states like our planned trips to California and Washington, DC, are important opportunities for learning. These future trips will help us acclimatize to the new environment and increase success. Spending on a large home will stimulate more spending and purchase of possessions which will limit one opportunities for learning and increasing experiences which also require money.

Of course this is more an investment philosophy but does it exclusively focuses on my family and not considering the larger responsibilities to my folks and kids lifestyles? I guess now is the time to articulate an investment plan and philosophy so I can get my perspectives right. I think that I should keep the townhouse for at least five years until my kids finish college. This will allow me to have the cash flow to fund their education, have a good lifestyle with travel opportunities to increase learning as well as stimulate other experiences instead of just staying home which would likely happen if one lives in a large home with limited cash flow due to increased spending. I guess this philosophy is good because it is less materialistic and disciplines one’s lust for possessions or goods.


I was also thinking about changing my car with a manual gear shift. Is it because I can now replace my car with my funds that are now available? Do I purchase a car with better fuel efficiency like a 1.8 liter engine but with an automatic transmission? Or, do I purchase a new car or a pre-owned one? Or, do I purchase a better car like a Nissan Altima for myself and let my wife and kids drive the Kia? Strangely, these are the questions one thinks of in an advanced materialistic culture unlike in more primitive cultures where the question of survival is brutally at the forefront. Living in places like the Philippine provide this perspective but moving to places like the US where ones perspectives, priorities and values can change due to the affluence. I guess the key is to have a good investment philosophy as well as having non-materialistic values.

Living a simple and prudent life is the secret of happiness. I am glad that I am not a full slave to fashion and I try to make purchase decisions based on logic and practicality. I think it’s this strategy or philosophy that has sustained me in the past years. Living in the most affluent society in the world increases the challenges and temptations. It’s a much bigger arena with more investment opportunities. Staying the course and having a well defined savings and investment plan will determine the quality of one’s life. All these thoughts come to mind with my folks living with us. My folks philosophy come from a different age and culture which no linger exists and not practical for me. Many challenges lie ahead for all of us.

Drivers License

My wife was able to pass the driving test this morning. She can now drive legitimately and, hopefully, can bring my kids to school during the week days. My parents are arriving tonight at Atlanta International airport and I hope to leave office early as it is nearly a 3 hour drive from Greenville. My folks will be staying here for a month and I hope to spend some time visiting the places nearby. Since my kids don’t have class on Friday, I think I can plan some interesting trips to places like BMW or at Nuclear Power Plant. I guess my dad would also be eager to try some of the golf courses around so need to start practicing golf again.



With my folks here, they will be sharing my kid’s room as the room size could fit them all. But I think my kids may not be able to study due to possible distractions. So I think it would be good to pick them up in school about 2 hours after their classes end so they can study at the library or student lounge. It’s also good that my folks are here as they could help the kids adjust to the environment. It’s important that another source of wisdom or knowledge would come from my folks especially during periods of big change in our lives. But so far I think my kids like it here and the thrill of meeting new people and places, going to college and learning to drive is good for their age.


Going to the gym is also a good time for them to build up their physical well being. It’s the right period for them to exercise and make them selves’ physical strong to help handle any stress that comes their way. I hope my wife would start to exercise in the gym to get back her health. It’s a perfect storm of good opportunities coming our way as the health club costs are subsidized by the company. I never had the opportunity like them in my youth and I hope all these early experiences will help my kids adapt and be successful in their lives. I realize that my role is to provide the environment for them to grow and develop themselves, to guide them to the correct path.


Things are finally coming together. This morning I checked my account and the proceeds from my flat sale have been deposited. This is one less headache for me as well as providing the funds for my kid’s education in the coming years. I am glad that I have invested in the flat 2.5 years ago and I am reaping the benefits of that decision. I need to teach my kids financial literacy so they can benefit in the future. I feel that this is the second time I was able to benefit significantly from my investments. First, after college when I bought shares of Ayala Corporation in the Philippines which earned me about PHP 40K. Secondly, the sale of the flat in Singapore. Modest success in both stocks and real estate but really good learning experiences.


Now I feel that now is the time to earn really big. I think I have gained enough knowledge and experience sufficiently for me to exploit. This is really the place to make a lot of money compared to any other place except maybe Singapore although that arena is quite small. With surplus cash, one should be careful to prudently invest them in the right areas. But one thing that most people don’t realize also is that the path to wealth is also achieved by saving money or, simply, by not spending. While waiting for my wife at the department of motor vehicle, I read an article in Fortune on how avoid ‘death’ taxes. I good area to start thinking about now that I am closer to middle age and with my kids growing up. Everything now most especially in recent times is about financial planning and economics.

First Week of College

My sons started their classes at community college this week. I drive them to school before work, during my lunch break and after work. They have different schedules and in different campus locations so I have no choice but to drive like mad to insure they get to their classrooms on time while going to back to my office at the appropriate time. Hopefully my wife and kids would eventually get their driving license to ease the burden. I am glad to have bought my car, a 2005 Saturn ION because of its fuel efficiency. Most of the car reviews are terrible for this particular model, but its fuel efficiency is hard to beat considering the price I bought it.


So I guess its value for money but I am afraid the maintenance costs would increase as I spend more time on the road. Recently I started thinking about replacing the Saturn because of its manual transmission. My kids have difficulty using a manual transmission and may distract them from their actual driving once they get their license. But I like the car and the fuel efficiency is more significant with manual cars. After driving my kids to and from school I could actually see the fuel indicator decreasing. I guess I a travel and average of 30-40 miles per day bring them to school, going to work and going to the gym.



I guess the fuel consumption will be much greater if I had a gas guzzling model. The cars that I like such as the popular SUVs have a 20-22 mpg while the Saturn has a very good 25-26 mpg. The other car I bought is much better with about 28mpg. But the best cars in this situation are the hybrid cars like the Toyota Hybrids which can achieve about 40mpgs. So if ever I replace my Saturn, I hope to get a car with automatic transmission with at least 25mpg and cost less than 12K. Car deals are very good these days with all these programs from the stimulus plans like cash for clunkers. Or maybe I don’t need to buy a new car if my kids are able to learn to drive the Saturn with its manual gears.


I always have second thoughts with the recent purchase like the house and cars. I guess when I start comparing with others I think I got the wrong end of the deal. I sometimes think that I made these recent decisions very fast which may have benefited from a more slow and reflective analysis. But I guess I am following a philosophy which I sometimes I do not consciously recognize. It’s more like an instinctive reaction following guides from Warren Buffet and Robert Kiyosaki. I guess I am a value investor, preferring to get good value at the lowest price possible. The key as some books mentions is to insure cash flow and capital protection.

Last week, my flat in Singapore was finally sold. I was able to earn some money with the increase in property prices. The profit I intend to use to fund my kids college education in the coming years. I will also use the money for capital expenses like improvement of my home and car. I am glad I made that investment 2 years ago because it has protected my capital with proceeds going back to replenish my retirement fund. So I was able to get back my money including the investment to improve the flat. So I am at the good end of the game and it will help my family achieve a soft landing here in my new home. The key is not to splurge it on unnecessary things. My motto is to spend on items where more than one person will benefit from the investment. So basically I avoid spending on large items where I am the only one to benefit. My family should also be able to benefit from this investment.

By The Numbers

I think I have accomplished a soft landing here in my present location. All the past years’ preparations have paid off. Many things still too do and one cannot slack off because it can all come tumbling down. But I am still in ‘fighting’ mode, still borrowing too much books, audio CDs, DVDs or magazines. During the last week I borrowed about 10 DVDs and I need to watch them within 2 weeks if I will follow the return date. I just finished CDs 16 to 26 of Doris Kearns ‘Team of Rivals’ and I will borrow the previous 1-15 CDs. I still feel that I have a lot of catching up to do before I feel confident of myself. I guess I can slow down now that I will have too many things to do. I like working here because the emphasis is on the application of knowledge instead of the gathering of knowledge.


I guess I like the stimulation or reading all these new things. I especially like the magazine WIRED and the last edition was about knowing yourself by the numbers. Its premise is that the past way to know ‘thyself’ following the Greek idea is by writing, or by words. Now technology has reached such heights that one can know more about oneself by getting statistics, for example, height, weight, BMI, blood pressure and so on. So it’s a good concept and especially for someone who is interested in his health or has health problem; learning about oneself thru many means like statistics is a good method. But one should be more practical and learn how one can apply this knowledge of oneself. For instance, exercise more or follow a strict diet.



Last Friday, we had a review of the software that is planned to be installed soon. After the presentation, some ideas were shared and it seemed that I was the only one who wanted to go forward. Is it my ‘reckless’ attitude? Or is it my experience and confidence in deploying software? Or is it because other team members are cautious? Or perhaps they know more about the way things work here so that is why they are cautious? Hence, after the meeting, I started to think if I needed to slow down and follow the local lead. But I also thought that I have a right to speak up and say my piece as well. That is the magic of this place the sense of equality as personified with the recent presidential election.

This magically freedom, if I am to believe all these books I am reading, was a result of the work of Abraham Lincoln. His humanity strove to abolish slavery but also to prove a concept that all men are free. From this starting premise, from a citizenry of free people comes a government for the people, by the people. It’s a liberating idea and one that can be lost sight off in its subtlety. Applying to my case, perhaps I don’t need to strive at the level that I have been striving for in the past. I have attained that goal coming here. Now that I have bought a home and with my kids preparing for college, my goals should now move higher. Is that the freedom that I have finally understood from my own personal situation? The freedom to say that I have succeeded in this first step and now to go for step two?

Going forward to my 5th decade, I guess I really owe it to myself. In fact, there is really no more time left perhaps to procrastinate. The training, lessons and experience that I have accumulated is enough to stabilize me. Perhaps I cans till do the things that I do for the past 2 years like toastmasters or journalizing but now at a different prism of thought or perspective. I guess it is all in the mindset and all these new experiences in the past 4 months is enough for me to get my bearings. When I have said that I made it, I think I have achieved a ‘soft’ landing as some economist would say. Some sort of transition has been achieved but more challenges lie ahead as my kids start going to college. Looking at the numbers or events, for example:

* new driver’s license (still to come wife + 2 kids)
* Social Security number (still to come for 2 kids)
* new house
* new car
* kids ready for college
* kids studying driving
* kids joining the health club
* application for new visa
* family joined local library
* family travel to nearby cities or places

These accomplishments show that the transition is proceeding as planned. A lot of things will still happen that will deepen the experience but touchdown has been achieved. So the next challenge is how to rise to the next level after these initial targets have been reached. For myself, I should watch my expenses more, start working on my book or another job, make friends and learn new skills. I may need to buy a bigger house when my kids finish college and perhaps a 2nd hand car if my kids will continue their college degree and start working. Moving forward would mean losing my normal sense of shyness and move with more confidence and less self-doubt.

The Writing Plan

The main problem in writing a book is that I lose focus and I am not organized. But I somehow am able to journalize or write daily by blogging. So I realize that blogging may serve as a way to write a book. I have tried many tools and there are a lot of interesting stuff out there like mind mapping, new novelist, various Internet options like Google Sites (to organize data) or even Google Docs to contain the actual writing. But none of these tools could provide a comprehensive environment to write although new novelist comes close. I think the main challenge is to have all the sources of one’s research in one location especially a portal or link to various Internet sites which have this information.



So I realize that the best writing environment is in fact a blog. I could write every day in a mix of actual writing or thoughts about the specific book. I could store all my writing online and I could have access to them using any computer. Hence I could work anywhere because my writing is stored in the Internet ‘cloud’. I could also post pictures, videos or links to Internet sites to help me in my research. So blogging seems to be the best environment to write a book. To make sure I have no distractions, perhaps I will keep the book private or to a limited audience. But I guess the blog will be the first draft of the novel. In other words, a tool to get my ideas out in a rush to complete my self-expression. I even think this concept would be interesting to monthly writing events like NanoWrimo.


Of course, this would not mean that other tools will not be used. I think new novelist is good for guidance, initial brainstorming and organizing thoughts. So will other software like Novel Writer. Mind mapping is also a good tool for brainstorming by making associations to other ideas that would come up intuitively during the process. I mean following the principles of the book ‘Writing in the Right Side of the Brain.’ These tools would supplement the act of completing the first draft. I guess I would know if the first draft is completed with the feeling that I get once I have said all that I could say. Once the 1st draft is made, I guess the next step is to copy the draft into a writing tool like MS Word or Google Doc to clean and organized it.

Blogs have often morphed into a book but I intend to use it as a writing platform. There would be links on writing as well as to sites that have research or subject matter needed in the book. The question then is whether I would have a blog for each book or do I have a blog for all my writings. The links to other sites would change depending on the subject of the book. Perhaps this platform works for me because it combines both anonymity as well as public access. If purely a restricted personal site with out the ‘idea’ of public access or criticism, the blog may result in a neurotic self-indulgent rant. Public access provides self-control and self-censoring. So I guess a public blog would be good because it may provide the public as an editor for one’s work.

Perhaps a further use can be made by using the site to advertise my work to publishers. It would be an ideal venue to promote and sell the book. Now that would be an interesting subject. Other Internet sites do exist already to allow publishers to review work but the act of writing is solely outside the intended site. Hence, these sites do not help in the act of creation or writing. It means that the writing has been done and the completed work is posted on these sites like Scribd for publishers to review. I guess one can go to this additional step but one needs to make sure that a copy write or patent is completed so one's ideas are not stolen. But perhaps not a good idea with the recent trends on public collaboration and sharing and so on.

Getting into the Groove

My brain can’t seem to function in the afternoon except when I write. Perhaps writing works into my mental grooves which have the most use. So I am glad I could write during these afternoons because it makes me be more confident as a writer. Perhaps writing uses a different set of mental muscles (or synapses as I think they are called) which I have cultivated through out the years. So these mental patterns are well-used that I have no problem writing when I feel that my mind is shutting down. I guess that is what it is meant by the settling ‘into the groove’ or ‘being in the flow’. So when the mind is disoriented, one should find the activity that one is ‘in the groove.’ Writing makes me go into this mode so I wonder what other activities does it for me.



Visiting the Thomas Wolfe home in Asheville was a revelation. I think this is maybe the first time I have visited a real well-known writer’s home. Of course, it does not show the places where he actually wrote his books but at least it gave an idea of the environment he grew in. It satisfied a curiosity in my mind about the influences a location does to a writer. For example, Hemingway in Paris, or Greene in Capri and so on. But I guess if it the development of the writer. I guess the correct analogy is Hemingway growing up in Chicago or Greene in London. For Wolfe writing life, I guess it would be the hotel rooms in New York or boarding houses in New Jersey or his dorm room in Harvard. So the years and location of a writer’s formation is of course different from the location where he started writing.



The common element in most writers’ background is their access to books. Most writers are voracious readers and Wolfe had very good books in the library of the boarding house. Most of the works are by well-known European writers like James Joyce or Leo Tolstoy. It’s a good grounding on literature. Looking at my influences, although I have read great writers, my enjoyment was basically on the pop culture of spy novels, thrillers and horror writing by contemporary writers. For instance, Ian Fleming, Frederick Forsyth, Trevanian, John le Carre, Stephen King and Ken Follet. Some strange and mystical works as well by Carlos Casteneda or J. Krisnamurti. The great writer that has shaped my youth was only Ernest Hemingway, although I discovered Thomas Wolfe via the American library sometime during my early college years in the Philippines.

I cannot think of other great writers that have influenced except Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Yasunuri Kawabata. I have never been influenced greatly by any European. It was only during college when I discovered the great writers like James Joyce. So most of the literary writers I read in my youth were actually B-writers whose focus was entertainment and fun. Rounding out my exposure was more a conscious effort of study. I guess it is the same thing for me in movies. These days borrowing from the library has bored me if I borrow the art house pictures from Europe or Asia. I fall asleep these days instead of watching in eagerness like in the past. It looks like moving here has reduced my fascination for the exotic and the different. But I do get excited looking at works about Japan or the Philippines. I guess the American experience is novel enough for me and satisfies most of my curiosity for the time being.