Feeling Empty?

Help me calm myself down! I have been jumping and kicking out of excitement (must be the caffeine) on what is about to happen in April! I had a meeting earlier with the professional team who'll fix the site and they gave me really good suggestions on how the site can be more viral. I'm putting all my lifetime worth of savings on this one!

Why April? Well, the website will be launched back in April 8 together with the unveiling of the billboard in Boni Avenue. It is also my birthday which falls on an Easter Sunday. The date is 04-08-12 and the numbers look perfect!

All I need to do is make sure we get the right permits for the billboard, shoot more ads and assemble a new team for Manila Kid. Whew! Easier said than done. But as Steve Jobs said, "If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don't have to be pushed. The vision pulls you."

We're building a new team for ManilaKid.com

In a society where it is easier not to care and just settle like everyone else, at least we stood up and dared the youth to be different, to make a move, to dream a little more! Join us.

The Exercise for a Happy Death

Back in high school, we used to say this prayer, Exercise for a Happy Death, in our morning assemblies every month. I find it creepy that we had to recite the prayer because we were all so young and the last thing that came to our minds was the thought of someone dying. The concept of a happy death is very philosophical but also practical (yes those two words are light years away). It's about finding satisfaction with the purpose you are set forth. 

I was reviewing the blog of a friend earlier and I happened to come across one of his articles that revolves around the concept of a Happy Death. Allow me to share it to you guys (without his permission, yet). Although it may be a long read, there's really wisdom in it!

-------------------------------------

Someone asked, “what is a happy death?”

On your deathbed,

Is it being able to say, “Ah, look at all the fortune I have amassed in my life. I am rich beyond what I can spend. And today I will leave.”

Is it being able to say, “Ah, I have been famous all my life. People have idolized me, screamed at my presence, stampeded to get a glimpse of me. And today I will leave.”

Or is it being able to say, “I have done everything I wanted to do. I have partied, had as much drugs, sex, and alcohol I could. And today I will leave.”

Or finally, is it being able to say, “I have served my master faithfully throughout my life. I have done what I had to do, and I have been who I had to be. Today I will leave.”

The last is honestly the ugliest. There is nothing in the last scene to suggest that the person lived a happy life. The words “served”, “had to do”, “had to be” seem terrible to say on your deathbed. Compared to the last, the first three seemed to have lived for themselves happy lives. The last scene, however, seemed to be a wastage, for in the singular chance that he was given to live his life, he gave it up to serving his master. To do what he “had to do”, be who he “had to be”. He would have been better off living like the first three, amassing large amounts of wealth, earning as much popularity as he could, or enjoying as much as this world could offer. The three must have had truly happy deaths.

Or would they? After those last words, a lingering question that might have been haunting them throughout their lives might be shoved into them as their last thought, in the naked honesty of death.

The lingering question is: Why?

And if it were so, that the question would be their last thought, to me those wouldn’t be happy deaths, but tragedies. After the wealthy man says his last words, the question will appear in his thought as his last, and regardless whether there is after-life, it is perceivable to think that this last moment will torture him for all eternity.

“Why?” I have amassed all this wealth. Why? In this singular chance to live life, Why? Why wealth? For one can be a household name, and many could fall in love with him, but his popularity will not be able to answer the lingering question. One could have all the temporary happiness that can be obtained in this world, but in his deathbed, when the question has come to judge him, he will have had nothing to show. “Why” for the rich, when death will only make clear that his possessions are meaningless. “Why” for the popular, when he will eventually be forgotten, and even if he is remembered, he could not possibly be able to enjoy his name being mentioned or worshiped when he goes to wherever he will go on his death. “Why” for the party-addict, and truly why, for there is no conceivable reason or meaning in the manner he lived his life, aside from being incessantly dependent on external things to make him happy.

Some say true happiness is not temporary, nor dependent, but deep, and long-lasting. Others say that true happiness lies in finding things like purpose, reason, and meaning. In other words, finding the answer to “Why?”

Others, however, propose that happiness is doing what one wants to do, being who one wants to be. One’s purpose, reason, and meaning doesn’t seem to necessarily be what a person would want to do all his life. One’s purpose, reason, and meaning seems to be in the realm of what one “has to do”, or “has to be.” It would be easier to think that a happy death would be being able to say “I have done what I wanted to do, been who I wanted to be” - which is closer to the first three cases, and in stark contrast to what the last case said, “done what I had to do, been who I had to be”.

Which of the two, then, would be a happy death? Being able to look back at life and saying “I have done what I wanted to do and been who I wanted to be?” or “I have done what I had to do and been who I had to be?” The answer is both.

And being both is only possible, if somehow the purpose, reason, or meaning, is also what the person wants. If purpose, reason, and meaning is not necessarily one’s choosing, then how could one adopt these as if it were what one chose? We look at two examples:

An employee working for a boss, doing what he has to do, but only for the pay. He would not necessarily want what he has to do, but merely the pay.

Parents working, cooking, washing the clothes, dishes, house, waking up in the middle of the night to change diapers, for their children. The actions might not be at first their choosing, and they might not at first necessarily want these things, but curiously, they choose to wholeheartedly do it; what they had to do were desirable and of their choosing, therefore what they wanted, without any pay or grade or benefit to them as a person, the only persons benefiting being their children. Why?

Because they loved their children.

It seems, then, that there is one thing that could bind the two scenarios, wanting to do and having to do: Love.

It is through love that one might want to do what one has to do.

Even without benefiting from it.

Thus, the happy death is when a dying person is able to say: “Ah, I have served my master faithfully throughout my life. I have done what I had to do, and I have been who I had to be” and at the same time mean, “I have done what I wanted to do, and I have been who I wanted to be. Today I will leave.”

because, when the lingering question has shown itself again in his thought at the moment of death…

he is able to calmly answer as his last thought, and therefore for all eternity:

“I love You."

One Brotherhood, One Gathering

I was shocked when Bro. Juvelan told me that he saw a group of people from Laguna who went to Don Bosco as early as 9am to look for our products! The event was supposed to start at around 6pm so we went there to set up at around 5pm. Our whole team was overwhelmed that even before we brought out our products, people came over asking for the jackets! 

Below is a picture of how long the line was even before we started selling. People were buying in bulks! In DB Makati, we sold out in 2 hours, but for DB Manda, the jackets were gone in just 20 mins! We were very much sorry for the people who traveled far just to buy our merchandise. We promise to stock more in the next events!

I love that I was able to study in an all boys school. You can really feel the brotherhood: there's a certain commonality that I share with these people regardless if they are 20 or 30 years older than me. Even though technology has changed the environment, the core similarities are still present, like maybe the constant search for something fun, daring and stupid thing to do. 

Who doesn't love twins!? This is one of my favorite photos of the night!

One of the highlights of the event was when the sponsoring batch gathered in the stage to sing their alma mater song. You can see that all of them are beaming. Probably memories of distant past are running in their heads while singing the song. Maybe I'm still too young to appreciate that, it will come with age.

They also gave batch 1962 recognition! It has been 50 years since they graduated from high school! Imagine that! They did not forget to say a prayer to their batchmates who passed away.

I wonder how it's going to feel 25 years after my high school graduation? That's only less than 20 years from now, but I already miss my high school. It was more carefree back then, and maybe I had a better appreciation of the simpler things in life. I miss being just stupid and without having responsibilities to tie me down. Maybe if I'm rich enough, I'll organize an event where my batchmates and I can spend a day wearing our school uniforms and relearning the lessons we had with the same teachers. Who knows...

Weekly Boosts of Inspiration

After graduation, I promised that whichever direction I went, my appetite for life won't be killed. It's more challenging than I expected especially after getting employed (of all the industries available out there) in a (gasps) bank - the summit of corporate slavery. In Cebu, one of my friends asked, "masaya ba sa bank?" and I said yes. Then Justin tactlessly blurted out, "linoloko mo lang sarili mo." That really affected me up to now.

Yesterday, I went to the Ateneo Development Sector job fair. I wasn't exactly looking for a new job since I was just there to support my friend's NGO, but I was fortunate enough to meet Dave who works for this US firm that provides corporate social responsibility solutions to multinationals like HP. It's more than just good corporate image because these multinationals are slowly realizing that if they'd help efforts like poverty reduction and environmental protection, it will greatly benefit them in the long run.

Two years ago, he was referred to by one of his college professors who's also into corporate social responsibility. I told Dave that his job was to die for! "It's like working for Anna Wintour!" (without the fashion). I didn't know what I meant by that but I was really thrilled to hear a guy who's involved in really making a difference with the support of a big firm. 

I have to make the most of this dire situation (well, not that dire since I'm also involved in three more fulfilling initiatives), but I don't want to have the risk of having the bank drain all my inspiration and appetite for life. So every week, I'm challenging myself to look for something inspirational may it be through plays, movies, finishing a book, traveling or meeting very random people.

Going back to the Ateneo yesterday reminded me of how much I really loved passion. I'm not sure if that's even possible but I can't think of a more concrete definition. It's not enough to say I'm just passionate (because I might have overused that word). It also made me realize that the world has so much to offer. It may not be possible to embrace all of it, but at least we should try to get the best of it (relative to who we are.)

More Love from Cebu

It's been three weeks since that fateful Sinulog trip and you can't imagine how much I miss swimming in the beach with the whale sharks (we did with three of these amazing creatures!), drinking while walking in the streets and bathing ourselves in beer while dancing to some really good Republiq level beats!

When I was hanging out with my high school friend in Cebu, he kept on saying that the sales lady were very slow when processing your payments in the counters. This is the same behavior which I observed with the people there. They were all taking there time, not a lot of people are in a rush like what we see in Metro Manila, especially Makati. Don't get me wrong, it's not the provincial pace I'm talking about since Cebu is still a city. Having lived all my life in Metro Manila, I guess the stress level here is above average compared to the rest of the cities around the country. Maybe the normal stress level is in Cebu.

Anyway, these are some of the photos which I'd like to keep in my blog, for "future references."

Intersection of Artistry and Technology

I was too sick to go to work today so I spent the first half of my day finishing the biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, and I can say that the story of Jobs' life knocked me out! He's one hell of a genius whom I know will greatly influence me in my decisions in business and my career.

"Was he smart? No, not exceptionally. Instead, he was a genius. His imaginative leaps were instinctive, unexpected, and at times magical. He was indeed, an example of what the mathematician Mark Kac called a magician genius, someone whose insights come out of the blue and require intuition more than a mere mental processing power. Like a pathfinder, he could absorb information, sniff the winds, and sense what lay ahead.


Steve Jobs thus became the greatest business executive of our era, the one most certain to be remembered a century fro now. History will place him in the pantheon right next to Edison and Ford. More than anyone else of his time, he made products that were completely innovative, combining the power of poetry and processor. With a ferocity that could make working with him as unsettling as it was inspiring, he also built the world's most creative company. And he was able to infuse into its DNA the design sensibilities, perfectionism, and imagination that make it likely to be, even decades from now, the company that thrives best at the intersection of Artistry and Technology."


- Walter Isaacson

What I find most notable in the book is that Isaacson didn't end it with the death of Steve Jobs.

     "I like to think that something survives after you die," he said. "It's strange to think that you accumulate all this experience, and maybe a little wisdom, and it just goes away. So I really want to believe that something survives, that maybe your consciousness endures."
     He fell silent for a very long time. "But on the other hand, perhaps it's like an on-off switch," he said. "Click! And you're gone."
     Then he paused again and smiled slightly. "Maybe that's why I never liked to put on-off switches on Apple devices."

Business as Usual

I'm currently writing a business proposal which a new business venture will use to pitch their ideas to potential investors.  The first draft will be presented tomorrow so looks like I'll be up all night again. I'm excited and nervous at the same time because I must make sure that these investors will buy the idea, which is very good by the way. We're talking about millions here!

I'm also very excited for Manila Kid. Earlier this morning, I met with JC and JM to suggest some revisions for the outline and format of our book. It will be more convenient for us and our readers this time. More importantly, we discussed the possibility of having to outsource the re-creation of our website. I'll be meeting with a group of programmers next Saturday to plan it out! They are very professional, Ayala is one of their clients!

We're also joining an entrepreneurial contest which is sponsored by Gawad Kalinga. Winning this would mean so much since we'll have an opportunity to pitch our ideas to angel investors. There's also that half a million cash prize to fund our idea! We have the best people working on our team and even though I'm their unofficial member (since this contest is for students), I wanna make sure that I will still give my hundred percent in this task.

My dad went to Quezon province last week to check on the land which we'll develop for my bamboo farm. The feasibility study is on its way and I'm interested on how much capital I need to invest in this one. Promised returns are after probably 5 years pa, but I'm definite it is a worthwhile investment (as predicted by experts). Aside from bamboos, my dad told me he's planning to plant chili around the area since the guy he hired owns a chili farm in Nueva Ecija.

Finally, I'mABosco has been soaring new heights for the past week! We tried to meet the astronomical demand for the jacket so we pushed our suppliers to really amplify their production. Unfortunately, we were still not able to give everyone the products they deserve. The schedule has been really tight like last Friday, I got the stocks at around 11pm and we had to deliver it at 6am the next day to Makati. 

The pictures below were shot in DB Makati hours before the official start of their school fair. I saw some really good merchandise which will be the source of inspiration for the next products of I'mABosco. More importantly, I met this kid whom I feel has really great potential. I have a good eye for talent and one of the guys below has the ability to move mountains! We'll see...

A lot of exiting things are already happening and it's just the start of 2012! I feel that this is going to be another year of breakthroughs and triumphs!

Something About Relationships

I don't know how I came to realize this but if you're looking for the perfect partner, don't look for someone who has the same personality and shares the same interests as you do. It might work out in the beginning that you like the same music or movie but if you always agree on certain things, your relationship and you as a person won't grow. How?

If your partner is different from you, you'll see each others weaknesses and mistakes. You'll be taken out of your comfort zone and each one will try to "explore" one another's strengths or likes. That will not limit you from visiting the same restaurant or doing the same stupid things. 

But this entails sacrifice and humility from both sides. One can't always be a "fixer" of the other because that might signal some unforeseen problems in the long run. I personally hate fixers if they're overdoing it, but it's one of life's "unnecessary evils." If she keeps on telling you what to do, but she doesn't admit her own mistakes, then you might feel like the underdog, and this doesn't produce a healthy relationship.

Humility allows you to empty your cup - the pride that you know a lot of things - so that new interests and habits can enter.

Maybe that's the reason why men and women are made very differently. One exists so that he can complete her. And unless you're a very strong person who can achieve "self actualization" without the help of love hormones, you need to find a partner who can bring out the best in you.