In Hollywood news the headlines are about Scarlett Johansson is suing the Disney Company for breach of contract for her movie Black Widow. I'll leave the details with the videos I'll be posting. What I want to point out though is the difference on how the story was laid out. While news outfits and journalists should report news fair and balanced there seems to be a slant on how this news is reported. ABC is owned by the Disney company and I want to show how it was presented vis-a-vis CBS. The video below is ABC News' coverage.
Next is the video from CBS News.
I may be a little more critical but it does seem that the ABC News version of the story slanted to show the actress to be a bit greedy. Comparing it the the CBS coverage which had a guest who actually shed more light on the situation clearly showing both the side of Disney and the actors. I say actors since the guest added another actress in the situation to stress a point.
Sadly, I think having bias in the news is the reality and has been a reality for a very long time. It has become more visible though with people like ex-President Trump highlighting it the whole time during his presidency. With the algorithm of social media platforms throwing content based on what people click, it's very likely that most of what is consumed reinforces the consumers belief systems. People must be aware of what they believe and and try to look, or at least be open to looking at people or institutions that look at the world differently. They should realize that politicians and businesses assert their power to move their minds to act in their favor.
I can't say that I often click on those Google Doodles when I see one. But every time I click on it I appreciate whatever trivia or information I get from it. Today March 4, 2021 I clicked on it and it was about Rosa Silva de Alvero. I absolutely don't know who she was but thanks to Google now I know she essentially fought for women's rights - click here to know more.
Thanks to Google I somehow get to learn more about Philippine history through their Doodles. I know this was one of the topics I wanted to post about so now it's finally posted. Loving our history and culture was the influence of my client Geronimo B. de los Reyes, Jr., GBR as he is called in the office. He is the great grandson of Crisanto Reyes who supported the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 which culminated in the execution of 3 priests Father Gomez, Burgos and Zamora. GBR's love of history was probably influence by his great grandfathers in it and maybe the reason why he built the GBR Museum where he curated old photos which documented how life in the Philippines was during colonial time and up to the most recent historical events.
Below are some photos from the GBR Museum.
I hope that the museum continues its operation once the pandemic is done. It's really a good window to see how Filipinos lived during the colonial times and up to the 80s.
This is day 3 of my 21 day challenge to create a habit of writing as a practice and this blog will be that medium. This was an action I planned to take to create a new habit and/or hobby which will hopefully help me create income in the long run. It's night time now and throughout the day I couldn't seem to find a topic to write about. I was just lazy actually. I saved YouTube videos to comment on and write about. But since I never became really active in posting some became irrelevant and dated so I had to choose the video below.
I haven seen this video in a long time and must have watched it only once. So, this me forcing myself to take action because I feel unproductive if I didn't but the video says that taking no action is perfectly okay because the universe will take care of itself. Below are some of the quotes from the video.
It's just ironic that I forced myself to write this post and the material I chose to post about talks about inaction. What's good about this though is that in the past few days I was feeling restless because I'm not being production at all. And, that should be perfectly fine. I shouldn't feel guilty in me doing nothing. I have to trust that the universe has it's plan and the invisible hands of fate is guiding me where I am supposed to go.
Earlier this year I found myself cleaning up my files not because I was transitioning to a new year but it was because I lost a client. I lost them in the saddest of circumstances. In April, as the pandemic was blowing up and under lockdown, I saw the a post on Facebook announcing the death of the person I was coordinating with passed away due to Covid. I was working with Baby Herrera, head of the GBR Foundation for about 10 years now. She began as a corporate client and eventually transitioned to my freelance work. I was doing a simple online reputation management project for here boss, Geronimo B. de los Reyes, Jr fondly called GBR being the CEO of the company. Sadly, a towards the last quarter of the year he also passed away. GBR was 84 years old. I am not aware of the cause of death but it was not Covid.
Baby was one of the nicest client I've dealt with and even if it was just a small project I was happy to get any business out of them. Initially there meetings but as the project went for the long haul the meetings became as the project continued in auto pilot. I even got to meet her husband Freddy as he tried to help me become and entrepreneur and gave me some small projects along the way. As such, I felt a certain closeness to her and her family. It was really a sad moment when I heard of her passing adding to already downcast situation of the pandemic and knowing she was one of those who lost their lives due to the pandemic.
It was probably the blue and green rivalry which made GBR remember me. When he knew that I came the wrong end, based on his opinion, that's when the ribbing started. He came from La Salle and anytime you encounter a rival they would be in your crosshairs. I just had to take it as a man and he was older and a client. GBR just had an aura about him which made you listen and respect him when you were together in a meeting.
He also had a very interesting story growing up during World War 2. You can check his story here which will include a story about an unfortunate crash landing changed his life. I will venture a guess that one of the reasons he liked aviation was because he worked fro Pan Am. He has a model of the plane that crashed in his office. He personally told me the story on how that changed his life eventually to become one of the richest Filipinos.
This is a model Pan Am Stratocruiser which crash landed in Manila on June 2, 1958. I took the picture in GBR's office after he told me the story. He was in his early twenties then.
It's hard to find news stories about the incident on the internet but you can find a mention of the accident in the Pan American World Airways accidents page. I'll place a screenshot of the snippet below.
You can find the full personal account of GBR in this link.
Last year was very hard. Losing clients in that situation made it more difficult. This is my own little way to remember them.
I want to try and post something in this blog once a day for 21 days. Yes, that's how they sat you build a habit, and I want to be more consistent in posting.
About 10 years ago I was consistent in posting something on the blog. Most of the time I just cheated because I mostly re-posted articles, videos, infographics with minimum comments or no comments at all. This was really just for the sake of having content. Lately though, while I don't post much. I try to write something or add my insights to videos I post. I found this blog post of TED in 2011 about spoken word poetry. It was a talk by Sarah Kay and I was enamored by her talk and poetry.
Ten years later, on the biggest stage I came across poetry again. It was "The Hill We Climb" performed by Amanda Gorman during the inauguration of President Joe Biden.
The event, the circumstances around the event and the past 4 years which lead to the inauguration plus the eloquence, the delivery and the message made for such a powerful moment in my opinion. The intelligence, the eloquence, talent and wit on how it was written and delivered made me look for more Amanda Gorman. Her interview exudes all things I said about the piece and the person. Amanda went on to do the rounds in all the morning and talk shows and one of the most wonderful interviews she had was with James Corden. I will post the interview below and a video of her performing her poem accompanied by piano.
Watch, enjoy, be moved and inspired by her eloquence and intellect.
Because of my ebike I consume a lot of content about it on Youtube. The channel of Propel Bikes is one that I regularly watch. It's a good window of ebikes which are not available here in the Philippines. Sadly, the local market isn't as broad as the US market. The local market has more affordable bikes though compared to theirs. The US pricing of ebikes probably wouldn't thrive as much here though since these would be priced on average about $2,000+ and that would costs as much as a scooter. I think the sweet spot her locally is about $500 to a high of $1,000 which is the cost of the current range of ebikes locally.
I'm not posting about ebikes though. While the channel was about ebikes, this time they used a cargo ebike to go around New York. I found their tour one of the more interesting ones. I've actually used Youtube to 'travel' since I'm mostly confined at home due to the pandemic. Youtube has been my eyes to see what's happening locally via creators and this video by Propel was one of those that helped me travel. Enjoy the sights of New York city!
After about 10 months of ownership and about 1,000kms traveled my Fiido L2 conked out. The bike essentially broke down twice. The first time we were able to make the bike run again by fixing some wires connected to the batteries. The bike ran a for about 8km after that until it finally gave in. When the bike first broke down I asked the FB Fiido community based in Laguna to recommend potential people who can service the bike. While one of the recommendations was a reseller of Fiido ebikes I didn't get the impression that they could service it. The other recommended entities were other escooter sellers and ebike sellers.
When my Fiido L2 broke down and second time I decided to get in touch with the most recommended company on Facebook which was Pro Scooter Shop which was in Manila. There were other potential options but they were the most popular and they immediately answered my messages on FB even if it was on a Saturday evening. I decided to go straight to them because I didn't want to wast time on generic ebike or escooter shops. I set an appointment and it was an hour and a half drive from home. It would have taken longer if it wasn't for Covid.
Traveling to the city was a great decision. The issue was diagnosed within 5 minutes. Everything could have been done in less than 10 minutes but I had to wait for a part that had to be picked up in another location. It turns out the main issue was the LCD which controlled the power and settings of the bike. The wire had been worn down because of the constant turning. I also decided to replace the battery harness/connection since it was about to break. Given the distance and effort it takes to go to Pro Scooter I wanted to make sure everything was working well.
This is the LCD (that's what the call it) and that's the wire that had been run down.
This is the battery harness. As you can see the red cap and one of the prongs is already loose. This essentially still works but definitely it won't last.
I was also considering upgrading the controller which will increase the speed and I think torque of the ebike but I didn't think it was appropriate to spend a large sum of money given the recent calamities which befell the country. With an increase in speed I felt I will also need to upgrade the brakes which is another expensive upgrade. While the bike is slow with a max speed of 22kph based on the app Strava, it does its job. I still have fun with it.
I'm very much disappointed that the Fiido L2 broke down so quickly. I somewhat understand the wear and tear of the wire. But the battery harness should last longer, especially that I don't take the battery off that often. My hypothesis on why the battery harness broke down quick is that the bike may have been the display unit and the sales personnel kept removing the battery during their sales spiels. The guys in Pro Scoot Manila placed a plastic protector around the wires which touch the steering column hopefully it's going to last much longer. At the very least I know what to watch out for.
I really do enjoy having an electric bike and this was a sad incident given it's not even a year of ownership. It does seem that a lot of Fiido ebike owners are very happy with their bikes. I actually enjoy riding my Fiido L2 a lot especially as the Christmas season approaches. I'll take the opportunity to take night rides and enjoy the holiday atmosphere.
Here's a quick summary of the issues since I got it last February 6, 2020.
1. A little over a month after my purchase the tensioner fell off. Luckily I heard it fell and I was able to get all the parts back (minus the spring) and return it.
2. The tensioner fell again around April or May. It turns out another user experienced the tensioner falling of in another FB group. I guess this has to be tightened once in a while.
3. A flat - around early October but this isn't about the bike. Had to mention it though.
4. LCD and preventive change of the brake harness thingy.
I don't use my ebike as much as others and it seems there aren't that many issues that I see on FB at a least. I'm hoping that this bikes gives more joy than headaches. So far no biggies and I don't expect any more in the foreseeable future. So I'll bike on.
This is probably not an official documentary film of Kobe but it outlines very good life lessons using Kobe and basketball as a jump off point. They summarized the philosophy and the thinking of what made Kobe Bryant great, not only in basketball but in his endeavors after he retired. I found the laws on this video really good and these are lessons from the game of basketball translated into the bigger picture of life and living a great one.
Law #1
The law of presence - Performance increases as though decreases.
Law #2
The law of reverse effort - The harder you try to play well, the more difficult the game becomes.
Law #3
The law of extremes - As emotion increases, consistency decreases.
Law #4
The law of transformation - The player who seeks growth advances faster than a player who seeks accomplishment.
Law #5
The law of identity - The player you believe yourself to be is the player you will see.
Law #6
The law of magnetism - The game comes to a player who does not try to pull the game towards himself.
Law #7
The law of mastery - The game rewards the player who needs no reward other than the game itself.
Law #8
The law of transcendence - Basketball is not life; it is a teacher of life.
Watch the video below as it masterfully connects these laws through Kobe and basketball.
I'm posting this because I was constantly looking at the profile to get good deals. It does seem that they have really good discounts for Nike stuff. Their store is not exactly near but it's a convenient place for me to go and this is why I sometimes look at their profile. Also, it seems it's better to go to their actual store than ordering online.
Their Instagram ad came just before the 10/10 sale. For those who don't know, online selling platform do a monthly sale during the "double numbers" - October 10 so 10/10. This year it started June 6 I think but I'm not really sure which month it starts in a normal year.
This is the ad. Just a normal Insta ad.
And I checked and read the comments.
Note that there were undelivered items posted by followers. This would definitely discourage consumers from buying. Just look at the last comment above.
I've posted about accidentally zooming in on a 12 session free personal / life coaching meeting, yes pun intended since it was the first time I used Zoom. William Hitzke, my coach decided to continue with regular sessions to those who were interested. It has been 6 months since then and we continue our inner journeys together.
It was serendipity. It was a gift.
It was really serendipity on how I found the meeting. Now, I consider it a gift as well. The world is experiencing a pandemic and it was, and still is a tough time for everyone. The meetings, the lessons and the exercises were really helpful. The meditations in particular were really calming. On really good days you feel that you went through an emotional spa. If you were feeling some weight on your mind almost immediately it goes away after the session.
I have one goal.
I've gone through a 6 month personal growth seminar more than 10 years ago so I had a very good idea on how it is and how it is going to be. At the start of the year I was actually thinking about getting in touch with a personal coach. My thought bubble there was "to get in touch IF or find a circumstance to" - in essence just an idea no forward action would have gone into it. My goal was clear though. Find a bigger source of income via a business, side hustle or work. Ok, maybe it wasn't so clear but I need bigger source of income. The specifics of the how may not have been clear at the start but it actually firmed up as I went through it. In one session, I got singled out on what my goal was and I envisioned how it's going to work out. I am now one step in to my goal and about to move to step two. It's going almost exactly as I saw it to be. There may be other goals that I want but I will focus on this and focus on this alone.
I know myself but I really don't know.
After every session, I always seem to be in a more reflective mode. You look back in your life both the good and the bad, and look how you felt on those situations. This is where I see how powerful these meditations are because you feel the emotions one again. Some of these emotions are the same some are different and at times stronger. The ability to look at situations in your life differently. It's not simply viewing it with your memory, you feel like you re-live it with a different set of eyes and a whole new set of emotions. You learn more about yourself that you already knew but with a different perspective. I find it hard to explain this, so maybe this example will make it clearer. I was always shy and an introvert and with reflection - I want to be invisible. I want to go through life with as little fuss and as little attention. It brought up front and center. Things you know about yourself, whatever issues those are become more well defined. You look at yourself with a new set of eyes. I knew that about me but I did not know.
Why so negative.
My entrepreneurial journey began 10 years ago. Anyone looking at the startup industry would know the journey of the entrepreneur is up and down, circular, left and right and putang-ina!! These ups and downs have probably weighed down on me, plus all the bad experiences I've had in my corporate life. I became more aware of this negativity in the past few months, maybe a year. There's always this little thought bubble that something wrong might happen. While I was aware if this, I can now clearly identify this issue and tackle it. While it may seem small, outside looking in, it is the consistency of the though that bothers me. Until recently I always though of myself as an optimist. Maybe because there's an innate confidence in me but my subconscious says otherwise and this must be changed. Why so negative? I don't know. MUST.FIND.OUT. ....and get that goal!!
Faith
A client of mine is a professional executive coaching company. For a time, during the lock down, I kept attending webinars on coaching just to give me a broader perspective on the process. The best way for me to describe this coaching, manifesting, personal growth stuff - I feel all these is a mix of religious faith, science, psychology and mysticism. I'm quite sure if I talk about what I'm learning to some of my friends they're probably going to be a bit weirded out. But I believe in it. I've been scrolling through the internet to learn more about it. After the first session, which I enjoyed, I committed to it with openness and acceptance. I don't think I consciously jumped into it with that mindset. But because I have a goal I will stick to it. I have learned enough to learn the logic of it. I have seen and experienced things to believe in it. Faith is not knowing how but knowing that it will be.
A friend was asked to do a eulogy for the dad of our high school classmate who was murdered in 1995. As a father it became his lifelong mission to seek justice for his soon just as any good parent would.
I have absolutely no memory of Tito Pepe before Nonong
updated me about the case and asked me if our class would organize events and
support the family for Phillip. I probably met Tito Pepe and Tita Nena for
sure, sadly during Phillip’s wake to offer my condolences.
Everything about Phillip’s case was patiently told and
re-told by Tito Pepe untiringly and patiently to anyone who would listen. Each
time was as surprising, shocking and unbelievable. There were times when new
leads came up, new stories connections about the case that brings hope that
maybe justice will finally be found.
There is a normal order in the universe that it is the son
that buries his father but in Tito Pepe’s case it was the other way around. To
add to this difficulty, he was murdered by the very institution he was serving,
that institution he was serving lied, covered up his death and tried to blemish
the reputation of his son by saying it was suicide.
It is a father’s instinct to protect his son. And he did. It
became his lifelong quest to find justice for Phillip. The family most likely
suffered quietly in his quest. From what I heard even the business. The
emotional, financial and physical burden would have likely taken its toll. But
he persevered, as a loving father should.
At the same time just maybe, Tito Pepe also looked at us
with fatherly eyes. Imagining how Phillip would have grown up to become a man.
We as classmates somehow represented Phillip as we ourselves started getting
married, having our own kids. The fact is, by celebrating Phillip’s life and
death with Tito Pepe and family – this has become a good reason for us
classmates to get together. Tito Pepe was Phillip to us we became Phillip to
Tito Pepe….
And to end with a happy thought. After 25 years, father and
son are now together. This thought comforted me when I heard about his
passing….
I saw this article about Xurpas, from bubble to bust recently. I classmate who started his business about the same time sent the article to me. He's a successful tech entrepreneur who built his business along with his wife almost at the same time as Xurpas. I guess he was surprised at how badly it went for the IPO. While I wasn't following it closely, it didn't come as a surprise to me since I was told that the IPO raised was used to buy up a bunch of startups around the region and locally. Sadly the startups didn't grow as big as expected and their core business, SMS and mobile content, got affected when Globe Telecom became strict on these content providers when consumers complained that their load was being stolen.
I got to know the guys early 2000s when they were just starting in their small office. We'd go to meeting together to pitch SMS promotions to ad agencies and brands. At the time was the peak of such activities and they were able to ride the wave of success along with other content providers. They were one of the few who survived and continued to thrive until their IPO. At that, time they were very successful that I they bought themselves (the three partners) a BMW 5 series each within 5 years of when they started. This is all a great story of the highs and lows of entrepreneurial life and I fully expect to see them back on top once again.
I'll link some of the article about the 'bust' below since I didn't want to elaborate much on it.
Youtube has become my go to platform during the pandemic. I easily spend two or more hours watching videos there. I don't normally subscribe but I consistently watch videos from creators.Vanlife, NBA, cars, ebikes, late night shows are among the consistent content I follow on YouTube. Essentially though, I get trapped by the recommendations but there are some consistent creators I follow.
I was watching 'Late Night with Seth Meyers' when I discovered one of their segments 'What does Karen know?'. It's a segment where Seth shows Karen, a millennial, a pop culture reference of his youth and checks if she can relate or knows about the picture. At the same time, Karen similarly show a picture of her youth references and checks if Seth knows about it. I found this segment very funny and Karen was a breath of fresh air and made the segment click for me. Below are a couple of segments from previous shows and you can just search for more if you like it.
In this time of pandemic content that makes you smile and laugh are priceless.
I bought my Fiido L2 electric bike February 6, 2020 and it's almost 7 months usage. Since the time I bought it, a quarantine lock down of about two months happened and life hasn't gotten back to the normal pre-pandemic phase. The lock down happened around March 14 and lasted until May 31 and life has changed for most of the world.
The pandemic pushed personal mobility forward with sales of bikes and e-scooters, including electric bikes surging because of the lack of public transportation. At present the government will push through to bring most public transportation back online. Given that the cases are still rising this may be a foolish yet necessary move to push the economy forward. Those who are smart though would still probably avoid using public transportation and use personal mobility devices.
As mentioned during my first two weeks review, I found it difficult to find real world ownership reviews of the Fiido. Now, however, the local and international Facebook group of Fiido owners seems to be consistently growing. Owners are quick to provide feedback and give pointers on their ownership experience (myself included). The Fiido L2 has even been reviewed Electrek.com on their YouTube channel. Electrek being one of the news sites that cover transition from fossil fuels to 'sustainable' electric power. Their review of the L2 is very favorable stating the price and functionality as its primary selling point. Essentially, it give great value at a low price.
The Fiido L2 even made it on the list of their top 5 full suspension bikes for summer 2020! I'm now feeling really good about my purchase.
During the quarantine period I was only able to use my L2 in our village. I made an effort to use it regularly to keep the battery healthy. I actually used it almost everyday during the lock down compared to the past month. On average the distance per charge is about 45-50km. Note though that I don't fully charge the battery most of the time. the top 2 longest distance on full charge was 60km and 68km. Also note that I'm a bit on the heavy set 200lbs (90kilos) so that should factor in on the range as well. I have now clocked about 750km on the bike using Strava. Google and Strava seems to have different reading on distance which is about 10% less on Google. I don't really know which one is more accurate.
Here are some notable stuff after 750kms of use.
- my tensioner fell of after 3 weeks and again after about 5 months. Another user in the international Facebook group experienced this as well. My suggestion is to make sure to to tighten it regularly. I though it was an isolated issue but since another person posted about this I feel owners should look out for this.
- I couldn't find the original spring of the tensioner the first time it fell off so it was replaced. Prior to that the chain seems to get easily derailed. A tighter spring was used to replace the original
- the fenders are quite flimsy, especially the rear ones look after that. When you hit bumps it might cause noise (kalampag sa tagalog), it might just be a matter of adjusting it
- the stem of the steering became wobbly towards the 3rd or 4th month. We just had to tighten the the stem of the bike
- several time I experience that there was no power when I use the throttle but it was never a long and consistent issue. So, I never found out why. One reason may be the loose wiring or I was pressing on the brake while throttling. This didn't happen often enough to be an issue
- the 22kph (based on Strava) top speed is really slow but upgrading the controller for P7,000 might not be a practical option at the moment especially since I live in the province. I'd need to take time and effort to bring my back to the city to have it modified.
The longest ride I took was 25km. On average I travel 4 - 5km per ride whether just around the village or to do errands. Sadly, finding a secure place to park the bike is an issue. I'm a little picky on where to park the bike though. Given it's an electric bike parking it outdoors is out of the question. Both the heat and rain can damage the bike. You have to talk to the guard to accommodate you and I just park it to do quick things in the store.
In the Fiido Facebook groups I see people the accessories they bought for their bikes. The bike isn't cheap so I really didn't want to spend too much to accessorize. While the lights on the bike was adequate I felt the need to purchase additional lights. I bought 2 front lights, because one only lasted about 40 minutes. The other light is a tactical flashlight which you can detach. I found this detachable light useful in case something drops at night or you are just looking for something. The other light is another rear light just to add to night visibility. I also bought an extra bar to mount the lights on. These extra light were really helpful to shine on a broader are while the stock lights focused on the immediate front of the bike.
Overall I'm very happy with the bike and it was good to have it during the pandemic for me to get out of the house almost daily. Now the are more ebikes that you can choose from in the market. If I was still looking for an ebike there are now cheaper alternatives to the Fiido L2 with comparable range. I'd probably buy those especially since one of the big chain bike shops offered one recently at P25,000 which is significantly cheaper. I can't take back time though and the comfort of the suspension and seats are something that I really appreciate with my L2. I'm just looking forward when the pandemic is over and I can go to places where I've never been.
I drive a 2003 Toyota Corolla Altis. It's 17 years old but it is as reliable as it is reputed to be. I got the car 2nd hand and aside from the major airconditioner which cost about 1/3 of the value of the car to fix, the car just goes. Compared to newer cars age has made the car a bit noisier with some clunks here and there but nothing that would be of a big issue in terms of the reliability and drive-ability of the car. Toyota might not be the coolest brand in the world even of it's one of the top 10 biggest. But they are considered the king in terms of reliability. Some people are afraid to buy 2nd hand cars but our family mostly buys 2nd hand. It may be a gamble to some to buy 2nd hand but if you know what you are doing you can get great value from the 2nd hand market. It does seem that older cars are more reliable than the newer ones which are packed with technology but time will tell if my perception on this will hold true. I believe that most cars built in the 90s onwards are really built to last. With a lot of TLC you can make these cars last a lifetime even as a daily driver.
Because I drive a Toyota. I'd like to reinforce my belief in their reliability by reading or watching content about how bullet proof they are. Scotty Kilmer is a Toyota believer and I've probably watched several of his videos on how reliable Toyota cars are. I was pleasantly surprised with this video which is not exactly about cars but about the brand Toyota. I found a lot of interesting bits of knowledge about the brand and the history of the company which is why I felt the need to share it. It's a bit long but I found it fascinating.
The 2019-2020 NBA season was the first sports league that stopped due to the pandemic. After three months they are now about to play the first official game this Friday, July 31. They will be playing in a "bubble" where all personnel involved in the games will have to go through quarantine protocols and regular testing throughout the remainder of the season.
Here's and interview with LA Clippers guard Patrick Beverly where he talks about his goal setting techniques which brought him to the NBA and how he copes with the pressure of playing in the worlds greatest basketball leagues in the world. Post it notes, meditation and visualization are all part of his daily routine to do his battles. Watch below and learn from the beast!
Sadly, I was right. Just a few months after I posted all went downhill. It makes me wonder how people behind Softbank and probably other venture capitalist firms looked at the business models so highly even it it wasn't even that unique in the first place. It does seem that the start up industry can easily be charmed or duped by very charming and ambitious CEOs like Adam Neumann. Other epic charmers are Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos and Billy McFarland of Fyre Festival. These people seemed to get capitalist money easily and burn it to the ground. Adam Neumann even got rewarded for his futility and got about $1.6B exit for his efforts.
The startup industry is poised to take advantage of the opportunities of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some will inevitably not survive but others will thrive. Being mostly technology companies my expectation is most will thrive. Those who survive will learn it's lesson and become stronger as the economy improves. Those with similar profiles like We Work though and built on charm will hopefully disappear.
I came across this YouTube video about the first Filipina F16 fighter pilot. Anybody doing great with a bit of Filipino heritage is usually hyped here in the Philippines, so it does seem like a great topic to write about.
Based on an article she migrated to the US when she was young. She lived in Pasay and Olongapo before her family migrated to the US. For a first generation immigrant this is a great feat. Adjusting to the culture is not easy. Having the drive and ambition to reach her goals is quite an achievement.
I find it quite sad though as a looked at the comments that some of my fellow Filipinos have somewhat disowned her saying saying that she is an American and no longer a Filipino. The fact that she was born and raised here even for a short time makes her a Filipino. There are just some things that you can't take away from people. Pinoys born and raised on other countries still identify themselves as Filipinos because you can't simply take away who you are and where you came from. On the other hand if you look at the likes of Jordan Clakson and other Fil-foriegners who don our flag for sports, people easily embrace them. While there were some initial issues with Fil-foriegners before it seemed to have waned.
The US Embassy does a good job to highlight military personnel with Filipino roots and I think they make an effort to deploy them here in the Philippines when given an opportunity. While the US does not seem to embrace it. They are a land of immigrants.
I don't think it's bad to highlight a Filipino or Filipina for their achievements. Being the first Filipina-American to fly an F16 is something you can't take away from Captain Monessa Catuncan Balzhizer.
I would be remiss if I don't mention 2nd Lieutenant Catherine Mae Emeteria Gonzales who was sent to train for the Aviation Leadership Program in the US. She played her part in the Marawi Siege in 2017. See a short article about her here.
I think it always good to highlight Filipina achievements worldwide and support them as much as we can.
As I watched Micheal Jordan's "The Last Dance" where sports pundits gobbled the content and squeezed it for all its worth - mainly because there's no sports in this time of pandemic. The 'greatest of all time" conversation once and will always come into question. I personally believe the Jordan is the GOAT in basketball even if Lebron James eventually (big IF) surpasses all his accolades. Here's just some of my reasons why I think he is the GOAT:
- one team built around him to win all his championships
- he went through "the process" of getting those championships
- the competition and type of basketball during the era, I felt this was a more difficult era to play in. Analytics is there for a reason, to make basketball more efficient. In a time where analytics says the game wasn't efficient he was winning dominantly over all the competition
My gripe with Lebron is that he teamed up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to win his. While building a team of superstars is now accepted, I still put a lot of value in organically built championship teams just like version of of the Golden State Warriors (v1 didn't win multiple times though).
This is not about basketball though. It's about Muhammad Ali. I started with the GOAT argument because I think he is the GOAT athlete ever. I'll place links of the rankings of ESPN and Bleachers report as reference.
While it's going to be hard to cut across the type of sport played what the list highlights is how these athletes dominated their particular sport. It's also hard to compare because just like my comparison with Jordan and Lebron these people lived in different times and circumstances. I think this actually skewed my perception on why I think Ali was the greatest ever. He may also have influenced my thought because he always declared himself as the greatest ever.
As I watched the video about him I was surprised that during that during the decades of his popularity mainly the 70s and early 80s he was a worldwide phenomenon. Ali had boxing matches around the world and having one done here "The Thrilla in Manila" and he seemed to have a big crowd wherever he went. In this time of the internet and social media I was surprised how popular he was when TV was probably at it's 'teenage years' black and white broadcast and his fights probably wasn't broadcast live.
Another thing which is admirable is his character and conviction to stand up for what he believes in. He sacrificed his boxing career because he didn't want to fight a war he did not believe in. This was also in a time racism was still (and still is sadly) a flashpoint in American society. He used his larger than life charisma to talk smack to his opponents and to stand strong when defending his convictions. Just like what Jordan did to basketball in the 90s he also seemed to bring boxing to the world stage in the 70s.
Sting like a bee dance like a butterfly is how I remember his actual quote "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee..." but I also remember him always saying saying that we was the greatest. I'll just pull this quote from an article from The Guardian on Ali's best quotes.
"I'm not the greatest. I'm the double greatest. Not only do I knock 'em out, I pick the round. I'm the boldest, the prettiest, the most superior, most scientific, most skillfullest fighter in the ring today"
His absolute confidence and belief in himself and his continuous bragging and reinforcing this belief of him made us remember him and made Muhammad Ali the greatest athlete ever ever in my eyes.
In times of difficulty it's sometimes good to look at how athletes have a this belief in themselves and backing it up to help them brush through their opponents. We should take inspiration from them that we to can take a look at ourselves a believe that we can pull through anything.
At the beginning of every year as themes are always about new beginnings I always have a burst of energy to try to meet with some friends discuss some ideas to see what opportunities or businesses can be done. I actually realized this pattern as the year was ending. But this year for some reason I decided to take it slow. Ironically, on the very first day of 2020 I wrote about 'memento mori', 'amor fati' and 'carpe diem'. (You can read it here)
I decided to some personal growth techniques which I learned about when I went through a personal development seminar in around 2006. Since November though, I already started doing daily goals which I write on index cards. It's a good way to journal and create baby steps towards your bigger goals but it did seem I was just doing it for the sake of doing it. I stepped it up a bit at the start of the year by making more concrete goals. Not really grand what is your dream type of goals but small achievable but not quite easy goals because it does change your routine. I actually achieved my 1st goal which was to get myself an electric bike. Because of the traffic and the hassle of lugging around a car, I felt getting an electric folding bike help me expand my experience of the city. It will help me go around and wiz through traffic and give me a different perspective. My other little goals were to go a place I've always wanted to visit like museums and travel to visit some friends. I believed achieving these little goals would help me create the bigger goals.
Sadly 2020 had other plans. Not just for me, but for the whole world. The world was forced to stop due to the pandemic. As I was absorbing the situation I looked for things to do and fortunately a lot webinars were being offered and I decided to join those that interested me. I came across a post by a Facebook friend about a personal coaching session. Here is where I met William Hitzke.
I just saw coaching session on the post but I didn't read through it because he was a offering a 12 session free coaching program. I call this my 'happy accident'. I've been doing coaching techniques on myself the past few months and was actually considering looking for a coach and boom! A gift.
When I first entered the room and realized it was a small group, my first instinct was to get out quick but fortunately I didn't. When I stayed I just committed myself for the full 12 sessions. William was starting his personal coaching journey and just like any long trip it starts with the first step. This group was his first step. Having gone through personal development seminars before I knew what I was getting into but unsure of what I would get out of it.
Coincidentally, this is not the first time I was in a "test" group. A friend of mine who is now a successful personal and corporate coach offered to coach me as well. That was the better deal though since it was one one one coaching. Sadly, the better deal wasn't that good. I found myself comparing this experience against that. The meditation process and the teachings William shared were very helpful and can easily be done even after the coaching sessions are long over. His openness and acceptance to everyone was also felt even though we were a group separated by oceans and only connected via the internet. I felt the strength of his coaching was most tangible as the session were closing because the strangers that started sharing in the beginning were opening the hearts as the sessions were ending. It became harder to leave the sessions because we wanted to hangout a bit longer.
As we were stuck in this quarantine, William us an opportunity to journey within ourselves, our past, our present and the future we are about to create. It taught us to live in the present and use it to propel ourselves one step at a time to a future that we envision. I do not wish to go much into the process since it's best that a person goes through it with an open mind and and coach like William Hitzke would be your best guide through it.
Be still, be kind, be patient, be grateful. Love and be loved. Take it one day at a time. We will all come out of this together. Just believe and have FAITH.
