The Winds of Change

Usually I write when I start to fall asleep in my cube, when I want to clarify thoughts or when I want to log down some experiences and ideas. Now I write because I am bored and my mind is a bit agitated, jumping from one thought to another. I read this morning an article in WIRED on the future of GPS. A lot of interesting ideas with topics that are relevant in today’s high technology world. Previously I thought that once should read TIME or NEWSWEEK to be aware of current events. Now the information from this type of magazines is easily available in CNN, BBC, FOX new or MSNBC. There is also the intranet where everything is available.


Now I think specialized news is hard to come by and the complex and high technology world require one to be aware of these developments. So these days I think the magazine that are indispensable to read are: WIRED, FORTUNE, ECONOMIST and VANITY FAIR. I included VANITY FAIR because there are a lot of good articles on powerful people and social relationships that influence a lot of events. Hence, it provides an insider view not accessible to the mainstream press. I have been reading a lot of blogs but I think it should be more for entertainment than to know the latest trends. These magazines have the high quality focus that is lacking in blogs. Of course one gets a more immediate and personal flavor than from the general media.


Since coming here, I have been into a mad rush to catch up and learn all I can about the local history, economic, social and technological culture. But I guess reading these magazines updates one into an advanced mode of awareness. At the end of the day, ordinary folk don’t read these magazines though I am glad they are readily available in the library. I have gone through a lot of books, magazines, DVDs since coming here and 2 major works stick to my mind. Firstly, Herman Wouk’s ‘The Winds of War’ and ‘War and Remembrance’ and secondly, Dorothy Kearns Goodwin’s ‘A Team of Rivals.’ Both provide an incredible breadth and scope to their subject.


I watched the mini series based on Herman Wouk’s work and it’s the most factual that I have ever seen on the war. The locations from Singapore, Philippines, Poland, Washington, London, Moscow, Pearl Harbor and Berlin seem to depict the real scope of events that transpired in history. The actors and dialogues are great and one in the lifetime achievement. Perhaps it rivals Leo Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’. The scenes in the Philippines and Singapore are spot on based on my own readings and experience. So I feel the other scenes in the book where researched well so I like the series and I wonder why I missed it when it was first shown long ago. I still have to see the remaining 6 episodes and I can’t wait to borrow it from the library.

‘Team of Rivals’ is a great book - one of the best historical works I have read or listened to as an audio work. It captures the greatness and humanity of Abraham Lincoln and the other important people in his team: Seward, Chase, Welles, Stanton, Blair, Grant and so on. It captures the underestimation of Lincoln’s rivals to his capacity and ability. One cannot help but make comparisons between Obama and Lincoln. There is a wisdom there as mentioned by Obama when asked about the book. I guess Obama and his team of rivals is reading this book closely to learn about Lincoln and the way he had managed and led his team during the period of civil war. There is a magnificence that one feels about Lincoln when reading about him and what his contemporaries say about him. I wonder why I had missed reading him in my youth as the only thing I could recall at that time was his rise from the poor prairie to the presidency and his overcoming of great obstacles and defeats.

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.