i-sabuhay mo!

Straight Talk: planning for the sunset years

2009-07-31T22:33:00.000-07:00

Never too early to plan for retirement.

Good read

A Boot Camp to Prepare for Retirement

Marcia Tillotson and Joy Kenefick aren’t your typical drill sergeants.

They run what they call a retirement boot camp, aimed at making sure their investment clients who are contemplating retirement know exactly what they’re getting into. The exercise focuses primarily on finances — after all, the two women are partners in a financial advisory practice that is part of Wells Fargo Advisors in Charlotte, N.C.

But the women also make sure their clients understand what retirement feels like. They point out that retirees suddenly have no place to be each day, which may not be as blissful as it seemed beforehand. The paychecks stop coming. And after years of dutifully putting money into savings, retirees have to get used to watching their accounts dwindle.

The boot camp — an extended version of its military namesake — is generally aimed at people a year or two from retirement. While the exercises may be especially rigorous, they offer broad lessons for those who think they may be ready to stop working.

“It’s really a way to simulate retirement,” said Ms. Kenefick, who, with Ms. Tillotson, has been using the boot camp for about a decade. “It’s a way for people to really wrap their arms around something that is so abstract, and scary and permanent.”

The two advisers require pre-retirees to complete a checklist of exercises, including taking a hard look at where their money is going and making sure they’re on track, for instance, to pay off the mortgage. (That’s a nonnegotiable must-do before retirement, the two women say.)

Naturally, participants can’t quit their day jobs. But they’re required to save a disproportionate amount of money in tax-deferred accounts like 401(k)’s. That helps mimic what retirement will feel like: the increased savings lowers the amount of money the pre-retirees have to live on, while also reducing the taxes they pay (retirees generally tend to fall into lower tax brackets). Since they’re saving so much, the participants need to draw on their regular cash savings accounts to supplement their living expenses.

“We’ve become so ingrained to save, it becomes hard to live on those savings,” Ms. Tillotson said. “It’s a scary thing to do.”

The exercise also gives pre-retirees a convenient excuse to turn down expensive obligations. “It allows you to beg off of things you may have had to participate in for one thing or another,” Ms. Kenefick said.

Boot camp usually lasts about a year, and about eight of 10 pre-retirees who go through the drill decide to work a little longer than they initially planned. “They either realize they aren’t ready for retirement,” Ms. Kenefick said, or they “realize they are ready, and it becomes a game.”

Here are the women’s eight drills, which you can use to help assess your retirement readiness. They are both registered investment advisers and portfolio managers and charge their clients 1.35 percent of assets annually, on average. They agreed to give the general outlines of their program.

SPENDING The most important exercise is arguably the first: a thorough cash-flow analysis. That includes taking stock of every expense for the past year, including insurance and vacations. “The purpose of it is to determine what your lifestyle costs,” Ms. Tillotson said.

Once you reach that number, it’s easier to determine how much in savings will be required to support that lifestyle and how close you are to that goal (factoring in expected Social Security income, pensions or other sources). At that point, the advisers determine whether pre-retirees are living within their means, and may recommend cutting back so they can save more. The analysis also lays the framework for creating a budget, which will help keep spending in check.

Many retirees mistakenly believe their costs will go down in retirement, but the two advisers say they have found that expenses usually increase, at least for the first two years, because people finally have time to travel or spend more time around the house and notice work that needs to be done.

NET WORTH STATEMENT This looks at your assets and liabilities. On the asset side, the advisers assess how much money is in tax-sheltered accounts versus taxable accounts and whether, say, cash accounts need beefing up. They also take a look at real estate and determine whether, say, a vacation home should be sold or perhaps rented.

And if your mortgage isn’t paid off, well, then, you probably shouldn’t retire, the advisers say.

INSURANCE AUDIT Most people’s life circumstances have changed by the time they reach retirement age. Once there is no mortgage, the children are out of the house and college tuition bills paid, they may not need as much life insurance (if any at all). Or maybe it’s time to consider a long-term care policy.

GOAL SETTING Not everyone makes it this far into the exercise, Ms. Tillotson said. If you do, it means you have a fair sense of what it costs you to live and you’re generally living within your means. Now, you get to visualize what retirement life will be like. Do you want to travel? Volunteer? Take a part-time job?

At this point, you need to consider whether it’s more important to retire by a specific date or whether you should wait, save more and live more comfortably later. “We are establishing their goals and putting price tags on them,” Ms. Tillotson said. Is spending on the grandchildren a priority? “It’s fine if that’s your entertainment, but it means you’re not going to Europe.”

INCREASE SAVINGS Ideally, the two advisers want their clients to save the maximum amount allowed in accounts like 401(k)’s. In 2009, individuals can save $16,500, and another $5,500 if they’re over 50 (or $22,000 total). That means couples could put in as much as $44,000 in 401(k)-type accounts. Of course, not everyone can afford to save that much. But you should stretch beyond your comfort zone and save more than you have been, the two advisers say, because it helps you assess your needs and priorities.

Because they are saving so much, pre-retirees will need to draw on their regular savings accounts, which are already in place because the advisers require their clients to keep at least three to six months of expenses in cash.

Let’s say you and your spouse earn a combined $150,000 a year and you’ve been saving about 10 percent, or $15,000, in your 401(k)’s. After taxes (federal, state and FICA), you have income of about $92,800 a year, or about $7,730 a month. During boot camp, you both would disproportionately save a total of $44,000. That leaves you with about $73,300, or $6,110 a month (after taxes). That means you need to withdraw an additional $1,620 from your cash savings to make up the difference, which models what you’ll need to do in retirement. You’ve also cut your tax bill by a third (from about $31,000 to $21,000). “What we are doing is essentially moving money from their nonqualified accounts to their qualified accounts,” Ms. Kenefick said.

If you can’t manage to increase your savings, it’s probably a sign that you’re not ready to retire, the two advisers said.

TAX PLANNING Many workers never worry about withholding taxes since they are automatically deducted from their paycheck. That all changes in retirement when the checks stop coming in.

The advisers suggest asking an accountant to perform a tax projection that includes whether it will make sense to pay taxes quarterly or annually (and whether you should have taxes withheld when you withdraw money from your I.R.A.). You also need to figure out what else may be taxable, like Social Security. That way, you can work these numbers into your budget and figure out how much tax money to set aside.

CHARITABLE GIVING Retirees also need to consider how charitable giving fits into their financial life. While you’re working, you may have less time, but enough income, to donate. The two advisers suggest that some people consider donating more of their time in retirement.

ESTATE PLANNING Updating your estate plan is important. Earlier in life, you probably had fewer assets and, if you’re a parent, you were probably more concerned about the guardianship of your children. Now, you may want to name one of those children as the executor of your estate (or perhaps set up a trust for a fiscally irresponsible child).

PSEUDORETIREMENT Once you’ve reached this far into the boot camp drill, you’re ready to start your pseudoretirement. “We are not going to tell you what to spend,” Ms. Kenefick said. “All we are going to tell you is where you fall, which may be dangerously close to running out of money if you continue at this pace.”

Straight Talk: from Runners World on improving an intermediate runner's 10K

2009-07-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

Continuing on this series on improving one's 10K run.

YOUR ULTIMATE 10-K PLAN

You'll be glad to hear that 10-K training forms the foundation of all-around fitness, because it includes ample amounts of the three core components of distance running--strength, stamina, speed.

By Doug Rennie

From the July 2004 issue of Runner's World

Intermediate

You've been running a year or more, done some 5-Ks, maybe even a 10-K. But you've always finished feeling like you could have, or should have, gone faster. You consider yourself mainly a recreational runner, but you still want to make a commitment to see how fast you can go.

Here's the two-pronged approach that will move you from recreational runner to the cusp of competitive athlete. First, you'll be adding miles to your endurance-building long run until it makes up 30 percent of your weekly mileage. Second, you'll now be doing a substantial amount of tempo running aimed at elevating your anaerobic threshold, the speed above which blood lactate levels skyrocket--a gulping-and-gasping prelude to your engine shutting down for the day. How to avoid this unpleasantness? With regular sessions at a little slower than10-K pace--that is, tempo-run pace. This will significantly improve your endurance and running efficiency in just six weeks.

So your tempo work will include weekly "10-10s," along with a mixed grill of intervals and uphill running, all of which strengthen your running muscles, heart, and related aerobic systems (see "Stuff You Need To Know,").

Oh, one more thing: Running fast requires effort--and some discomfort. Still, be conservative. If you can't maintain the same pace throughout a given workout, or if your body shrieks "No mas!" then call it a day. And maybe adjust your pace next time.

Get Your Training Started Find the 10K Plan for Intermediate Runners and more at the Runner's World Personal Trainer.

Race Day Rules
"Many intermediate runners run too fast in the first 5-K," says Coach Sinclair. "That's the surest way to run a mediocre time. Even pace is best, which means the first half of the race should feel really easy." Sinclair's wife and co-coach, Kim Jones, a former U.S. Olympian, adds this: "Divide the race into three 2-mile sections: doable pace for the first 2, push a bit the middle 2, then go hard the last 2."

Stuff You Need To Know
Pace Intervals (PI): Run at 10-K goal pace to improve efficiency and stamina, and to give you the feel of your race pace. For 10-minute pace (a 1:02:06 10-K), run 2:30 (for 400 meters), 5:00 (800m), 7:30 (1200m). For 9-minute pace (55:53), run 2:15 (400m), 4:30 (800m), 6:45 (1200m). For 8-minute pace (49:40), 2:00 (400m), 4:00 (800m), 6:00 (1200m). With pace and speed intervals (below), jog half the interval distance to recover.

Speed Intervals (SI)
Run these at 30 seconds-per-mile faster than goal pace. For 10-minute pace, run 2:22 (for 400m), 4:44 (800m), 7:06 (1200m). For 9-minute pace, 2:08 (400m), 4:16 (800m), 6:24 (1200m).
For 8-minute pace, 1:53 (400m), 3:45 (800m), 5:38 (1200m).

10-10s: 10-minute tempo repeats at 30 seconds per mile slower than 10-K goal pace; 3- to 5-minute slow jog after each.

Total Uphill Time (TUT): Run repetitions up the same hill, or work the uphill sections of a road or trail course.

Strides (S): Over 100 meters, gradually accelerate to about 90 percent of all-out, hold it there for 5 seconds, then smoothly decelerate. Walk to full recovery after each.

Straight Talk: from Runners World on the ultimate 10K plan for beginners

2009-07-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

Your Ultimate 10-K Plan

You'll be glad to hear that 10-K training forms the foundation of all-around fitness, because it includes ample amounts of the three core components of distance running--strength, stamina, speed.

By Doug Rennie

You'll be glad to hear that 10-K training forms the foundation of all-around fitness, because it includes ample amounts of the three core components of distance running--strength, stamina, speed. Sure, you can use it to train for your goal 6.2-miler, yet with certain adjustments you can also use it to prepare for everything from the 5-K to the marathon. But we're talking about the classic distance, made famous by Viren, Salazar, and the transcendant Gebrselassie. When you race a 10-K, you immerse yourself in near-mythical tradition. So read through the runner profiles below to determine which of our six-week plans is best for you. And remember: These are not one-size-fits-all plans, so if you can't complete a given workout, don't. If you need to rearrange training days to fit your schedule, do it.

Beginner

You're a notch above novice. You've been running at least six months and maybe have done a 5-K or two. You run three to five miles three or four days a week, have done a little fast running when you felt like it, and now you want to enter--and finish--what you consider a real "distance race."

If you're a beginner, your 10-K goal is less a personal record (PR) than an LDF (longest distance finished). You want to run the whole 6.2 miles, so you're going for endurance. Because it's likely to take you an hour to get there. "Basic aerobic strength is every runner's first need," says coach Jon Sinclair of Anaerobic Management (anaerobic.net).

So you'll do most of your running at a steady, moderate pace. But we're also going to flick a dash of pseudo-speedwork into your endurance stew for flavor. This will put some added spring into your step, give you a brief taste of what it feels like to run a little faster, and hasten your segue to the intermediate level. Hence, every week, in addition to steady running, you're going to do two extra things.

Get Your Training Started
Find the 10K Plan for Beginners and more at the Runner's World Personal Trainer.

Race Day Rules
Have some fluids and an energy bar or bagel an hour before the start, and arrive early enough to get your number without the stress of long lines. Walk around about 10 minutes before the start, maybe even do a few minutes of slow jogging. Start off slower than you think you should, and work gradually into a comfortable and controlled pace. Let the race come to you. If there is an aid station, stop to drink and relax for 10 seconds.

Stuff You Need To Know
Aerobic Intervals (AI): You push the pace just a bit, you breathe just a little harder--followed by slow jogging until you feel rested enough to resume your regular tempo. And you always, always, stay well short of going anaerobic (simply stated: squinty-eyed and grasping for breath). Treat these runs like play. When you do them, try to recreate that feeling you had as a kid when you ran to the park and couldn't wait to get there.

Gentle Pickups (GP): You gradually increase your pace over 100 meters to about 90 percent of all-out, hold it there for 10 to 20 meters, then gradually decelerate. Walk to full recovery before you start the next one. Nothing big, nothing really stressful--just enough to let your body go, "Ah, so this is what it feels like to go fast." Note: After a few AI/GP weeks, your normal pace will begin to feel more comfortable. And you'll get race-fit more quickly this way.

Four Training Universals

Rest: Rest means no running. None. Give your muscles and synapses some serious R&R so all systems are primed for the next workout. Better two quality days and two of total rest than four days of mediocrity resulting from lingering fatigue. Rest days give you a mental break as well, so you'll come back feeling refreshed.

Easy Runs: Easy runs mean totally comfortable and controlled. If you're running with someone else, you should be able to converse easily. You'll likely feel as if you could go faster. Don't. Here's some incentive to take it easy: You'll still be burning 100 calories every mile you run, no matter how slow you go.

Long Runs: Long runs are any steady run at or longer than race distance designed to enhance endurance, which enables you to run longer and longer and feel strong doing it. A great long-run tip: Find a weekly training partner for company. You'll have plenty of time to talk about anything that comes up.

Speedwork: Speedwork means bursts of running shorter than race distance, some at your race goal pace, some faster. This increases cardiac strength, biomechanical efficiency that translates into more miles per gallon, and the psychological toughness racing demands. That said, you're not trying to kill yourself. Keep it fun.

Straight Talk: from Runners World on improving your 10K run

2009-07-22T20:17:00.001-07:00

Keeping this up for my friends thinking of taking the 10K plunge.

Run Your Best 10-Miler

Follow one of these 10-miler training plans to the finish line

By Larry Indiviglia

These 10-week training plans (for intermediate, advanced, and beginning runners) were developed by Larry Indiviglia, a certified personal trainer and director of run programs at Island Fitness in San Diego. Since the goal is to race the 10-miler at or about your lactate-threshold pace, all three programs include at least one lactate-threshold-paced workout per week, along with one longer run to build endurance. The intermediate and advanced programs add a variety of speed and hill workouts that should include at least a one-mile warmup and a one-mile cooldown.

I. Beginner

WEEK 1
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 3 mi @ 70% MHR
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 4 mi w/ 2 mi @ LT pace
Friday: Cross-train
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 6 mi w/ 4 mi @ 60% MHR
Total: 13 mi

WEEK 2
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 4 mi @ 70% MHR
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 5 mi w/ 3 mi @ LT pace
Friday: Cross-train
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 6 mi w/ 4 mi @ 60% MHR
Total: 15 mi

WEEK 3
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 4 mi @ 70% MHR
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 5 mi w/ 3 mi @ LT pace
Friday: Cross-train
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 8 mi w/ 6 mi @ 60% MHR
Total: 17 mi

WEEK 4
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 5 mi @ 70% MHR
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 5 mi w/ 4 mi@ LT pace
Friday: Cross-train
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 6 mi w/ 4 mi @ 65% MHR
Total: 16 mi

WEEK 5
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 5 mi @ 70% MHR
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 6 mi w/ 4 mi @ LT pace
Friday: Cross-train
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 10 mi w/ 8 mi @ 60% MHR
Total: 21 mi

WEEK 6
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 6 mi @ 70% MHR
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 5 mi @ 60% MHR
Friday: Cross-train
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 10-K race @ LT pace
Total: 17 mi

WEEK 7
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 4 mi @ 65% MHR
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 8 mi w/ 4 mi @ LT pace
Friday: Cross-train
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 10 mi w/ 8 mi @ 70% MHR
Total: 22 mi

WEEK 8
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 6 mi @ 70% MHR
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 5 mi w/ 3 mi @ 75% MHR
Friday: Cross-train
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 8 mi @ LT pace
Total: 19 mi

WEEK 9
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 5 mi @ 65% MHR
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 5 mi w/ 3 mi @ 75% MHR
Friday: Cross-train
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 6 mi @ 70% MHR
Total: 16 mi

WEEK 10
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 5 mi @ 70% MHR
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 4 mi @ 65% MHR
Friday: Cross-train
Saturday: 20 minutes easy
Sunday: 10-MILER

II. Intermediate

WEEK 1
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 5 mi w/ 3 mi @ LT pace
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 5 mi w/ 1/4 mi x 6 @ 5-Kk pace, 1/4-mi recovery
Friday: 4 mi @ 65% MHR
Saturday: Cross-train
Sunday: 6 mi @ 75/80% MHR
Total: 20 mi

WEEK 2
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 5 mi w/ 3 mi @ LT pace
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 5 mi w/ 1/2 mi x 4 @ 5-K pace, 1/4-mi recovery
Friday: 4 mi @ 65% MHR
Saturday: Cross-train
Sunday: 8 mi @ 75/80% MHR
Total: 22 mi

WEEK 3
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 6 mi w/ 4 mi @ LT pace
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 5 mi w/ 1/2 mi x 4 @ 5-K pace, 1/4-mi recovery
Friday: 5 mi @ 65% MHR
Saturday: Cross-train
Sunday: 10 mi @ 75/80% MHR
Total: 26 mi

WEEK 4
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 6 mi w/ 4 mi @ LT pace
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 7 mi w/ 1 mi x 3 @ 10-pace, 3- min recovery
Friday: 4 mi @ 65% MHR and 4 x 45-sec pickups
Saturday: Cross-train
Sunday: 8 mi w/ 6 mi @ 75/80% MHR and 1 mi @ LT
Total: 25 mi

WEEK 5
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 7 mi w/ 5 mi @ LT pace
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 5 mi w/ 6 x Uphills
Friday: 6 mi @ 65% MHR and 6 x 45-sec pickups
Saturday: Cross-train
Sunday: 12 mi w/11 mi @ 75/80% MHR and 1 mi @ LT
Total: 30 mi

WEEK 6
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 6 mi w/ 2 mi x 2 @ LT pace, 4-min recovery
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 5 mi @ 65% MHR
Friday: 3 mi very easy
Saturday: Cross-train
Sunday: 10-K Race
Total: 20 mi

WEEK 7
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 6 mi w/ 4 mi @ LT pace
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 7 mi w/ 1 mi x 3 @ 10-K pace, 3-min recovery
Friday: 6 mi @ 65% MHR and 8 x 45-sec pickups
Saturday: Cross-train
Sunday: 14 mi @ 75/80% MHR and mi 8 to 10@ LT
Total: 33 mi

WEEK 8
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 6 mi w/ 1/4 mi x 6 @ 5-K pace, 1/4-mi recovery
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 5 mi @ 65% MHR
Friday: 3 mi very easy
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 10 mi time trial at goal race pace
Total: 24 mi

WEEK 9
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 5 mi w/ 3 mi @ LT pace
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 5 mi w/ 1 mi x 2 @ 5-K pace, 5-min recovery
Friday: 4 mi @ 65% MHR and 8 x 45-sec pickups
Saturday: Cross-train
Sunday: 6 mi w/ 3 mi @ 75/80% MHR and 3 mi @ LT
Total: 20 mi

Week 10
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 5 mi w/ 3 mi @ 75% MHR
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 4 mi easy w/ 6 x 45-sec pickups
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 20 minutes very easy
Sunday: 10 MILER

III. Advanced

WEEK 1
Monday: 3 mi @ 65% MHR
Tuesday: 7 mi w/ 5 mi @ LT pace
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 5 mi w/ 1/2 mi x 4 @ 5-K pace, 1/4-mi recovery
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 4 mi w/ Track Striders--8 laps
Sunday: 10 mi @ 80% MHR
Total: 29 mi

WEEK 2
Monday: 4 mi @ 65% MHR
Tuesday: 8 mi w/ 2 mi x 2 @ LT pace, 3-min recovery
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 7 mi w/ 1/2 mi x 6 @ 5-pace, 1/4-mi recovery
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 4 mi w/ 4 x Downhills
Sunday: 10 mi @ 80% MHR
Total: 33 mi

WEEK 3
Monday: 4 mi @ 65% MHR
Tuesday: 10 mi w/ 2 mi x 3 @ LT pace, 3-min recovery
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 5 mi w/ 6 x Uphills
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 4 mi w/ Track Striders 8 laps
Sunday: 13 mi @ 80% MHR
Total: 36 mi

WEEK 4
Monday: 6 mi @ 65% MHR
Tuesday: 8 mi w/ 4 mi @ LT pace on hilly course
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 6 mi w/ 1 mi x 3 @ 10-K pace, 1/4-mi recovery
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 5 mi w/ 6 x Downhills
Sunday: 10 mi w/ 5 mi @ 80% MHR and 5 mi @ LT pace
Total: 35 mi

WEEK 5
Monday: 5 mi @ 65% MHR
Tuesday: 10 mi w/ 2 mi x 3 @ LT pace, 3-min recovery
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 7 mi w/8 x Uphills
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 5 mi w/ Track Striders-- 10 laps
Sunday: 14 mi w/ 10 mi @ 80% MHR and 4 mi @ LT pace
Total: 41 mi

WEEK 6
Monday: 7 mi @ 65% MHR
Tuesday: 7 mi w/ 5 mi @ LT pace on hilly course
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 4 mi w/ Track Striders 8 laps
Friday: 3 mi easy
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 10-K race
Total: 27 mi

WEEK 7
Monday: 4 mi @ 65% MHR
Tuesday: 10 mi w/ 6 mi @ LT pace
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 7 mi w/ 1 mi x 4 @ 10-K pace, 1/4-mi recovery
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 5 mi w/ 8 x Downhills
Sunday: 16 mi w/ 10 mi @ 80% MHR and 6 mi @ LT pace
Total: 42 mi

WEEK 8
Monday: 5 mi @ 65% MHR
Tuesday: 10 mi w/ 2 mi x 3 @ pace, 3-min recovery
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 7 mi w/ 10 x Uphills
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 4 mi w/ Track Striders--6 laps
Sunday: 10 mi time trial at goal race pace
Total: 36 mi

WEEK 9
Monday: 5 mi @ 65% MHR
Tuesday: 6 mi w/ 4 mi @ LT pace
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 4 mi w/ 1/4 mi x 8 @ 5-K pace, 200-meter rec.
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 4 mi w/ Track Striders 6 laps
Sunday: 8 mi @ 80% MHR
Total: 27 mi

WEEK 10
Monday: 3 mi easy
Tuesday: 6 mi w/ 4 mi @ LT pace
Wednesday: Cross-train
Thursday: 4 mi w/ Track Striders--4 laps
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 2 mi easy
Sunday: 10-MILER

Workout Key

LT Pace: Lactate Threshold Pace is your 10-K race pace per mile, plus about 20 seconds, or about 85 percent of your maximum heart rate (MHR below).

Track Striders: On a quarter-mile track, run the straights hard but not all out, and jog the turns for recovery.

Downhills: Find a gentle hill that is about 100 yards long. Run down hard but controlled, and jog back up for recovery.

Uphills: Find a hill that is about a quarter to a half mile in length with a five to eight percent grade, which is challenging, but not so steep that you can't sustain a strong uphill effort. Run up it at your 10-K race pace. Recover by walking back down the hill to your starting point.

Straight Talk: from Runners World on speed training

2009-07-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

Training tips for runners

Speed 101

How to get fitter and stronger—fast.

By Jeff Galloway

Running faster than you usually run can be very motivating. it can also take your fitness to another level. So if you've never done a speed workout before, or you haven't run one in more than a year, add some quicker running to your schedule once you've been logging at least three runs per week (at least 20 minutes per run) for four weeks or longer. To get started, go to a track, find some smooth trails, or head to any running area that is relatively flat and offers stable footing. Then try this introduction to speedwork:

First Workout: 15 Fast Seconds

Warm up by walking for three minutes, then running easy for eight minutes.

Run comfortably for 10 seconds, increase your speed for 10 more seconds, and speed up again for five seconds. At no point should you be running all out. Walk for two minutes. Repeat the series two more times.

Cool down by running easy for eight minutes, then walking for three.

Second Workout: (four to six days later) Two Sets

Do the same warmup and cooldown as in the first workout.

Do the same acceleration drill followed by two minutes of walking, but instead of doing the series three times, do it four times.

Then run comfortably for 10 seconds, increase your speed for 10 seconds, then speed up again for 10 seconds. Walk for two minutes. Repeat the series two more times.

Third Workout: Two Sets and More

Do the same warmup and cooldown.

Once a week, repeat the second workout, adding two repeats to the first set of accelerations (work up to 12 repeats) and adding five seconds (work up to 30 seconds) to the length of the last segment in the second set of accelerations. Example: Week three you'd run six accelerations in the first set and extend the last segment of the accelerations in the second set to 15 seconds.

Straight Talk: training plan for a half marathon

2009-07-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

Awesome training plan for 4 months to get ready for the Milo Marathon in December

TRAINING: RACE TRAINING

HALF-MARATHON SPECIAL: BIG TIME

The half-marathon is the fastest growing distance in our sport. In fact, the number of people who've raced 13.1 miles has nearly doubled in the past decade. Pick a training plan that's right for you—and then join the half-marathon boom yourself.

By Jon Marcus

Image by Mauricio Duenas /AFP/Getty Images

From the August 2009 issue of Runner's World

THE PLAN

Our exclusive beginner's training plan, designed by Chicago-based coach and author Jenny Hadfield, is all about slow, steady improvement. Hadfield tells first-time half-marathoners to cross-train twice a week to build endurance, stave off burnout, and actively rest running muscles. She also instructs them to gradually progress from daily 30- to 50-minute runs. For longer runs, she recommends slow, "conversational-pace" outings of up to 10 miles—not 13—to elude injury. "Is it really risky for a runner to do 13 miles in training? Not if they have a solid base of miles," says Hadfield. "But many beginners don't have a solid base of long runs. It's better to do 10 miles and show up ready to go than to do 13 and be hurt."

WEEK 1
MON: 35 min moderate
TUE: 30-40 min XT
WED: 40 min easy
THU: 30-40 min XT
FRI: Rest
SAT: 6 miles conversational
SUN: Rest

WEEK 2
MON: 35 min moderate
TUE: 30-40 min XT
WED: 40 min easy
THU: 30-40 min XT
FRI: 30 min easy
SAT: 5 miles conversational
SUN: Rest

WEEK 3
MON: 40 min moderate
TUE: 30-40 min XT
WED: 40 min easy
THU: 30-40 min XT
FRI: 30 min easy
SAT: 7 miles conversational
SUN: Rest

WEEK 4
MON: 40 min moderate
TUE: 30-40 min XT
WED: 45 min easy
THU: 30-40 min XT
FRI: 30 min easy
SAT: 8 miles conversational
SUN: Rest

WEEK 5
MON: 40 min moderate
TUE: 30-40 min XT
WED: 50 min easy
THU: 30-40 min XT
FRI: Rest
SAT: 6 miles conversational
SUN: Rest

WEEK 6
MON: 45 min moderate
TUE: 30-40 min XT
WED: 50 min easy
THU: 30-40 min XT
FRI: 30 min easy
SAT: 9 miles conversational
SUN: Rest

WEEK 7
MON: 45 min moderate
TUE: 30-40 min XT
WED: 50 min easy
THU: 30-40 min XT
FRI: 30 min easy
SAT: 10 miles conversational
SUN: Rest

WEEK 8
MON: 45 min moderate
TUE: 30-40 min XT
WED: 50 min easy
THU: 30-40 min XT
FRI: 30 min easy
SAT: 8 miles conversational
SUN: Rest

WEEK 9
MON: 45 min moderate
TUE: 30-40 min XT
WED: 45 min easy
THU: 30-40 min XT
FRI: 30 min easy
SAT: 6 miles conversational
SUN: Rest

WEEK 10
MON: 40 min moderate
TUE: Rest
WED: 30 min easy
THU: Rest
FRI: 30 min easy
SAT: 15-20 min conversational
SUN: Rest

KEY: CONVERSATIONAL 65-70% of maximum heart rate (max HR) EASY 70-75% of max HR MODERATE 75-80% of max HR XT Cross-training; strength training and/or cardio work other than running and walking, such as cycling, swimming, or elliptical training. Try to stay at 65-75% of max HR WARMUP Walk five minutes at an easy pace before every run COOLDOWN Walk five minutes at an easy pace and stretch after every run

Straight Talk: leadership lesson

2009-07-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

Good read

Great Communicators Are Great Explainers

In the months since Barack Obama has taken office, a curious thing has occurred in his communication style. He has toned down the rhetoric and geared up the details. As Don Baer who once worked for President Bill Clinton put it, Obama is now "the Great Explainer."

In doing so, Obama is following in the tradition of a previous president, Franklin Roosevelt. At his best, Roosevelt, either on radio or to the press, took on the role of a trusted friend explaining things in simple terms so that anyone could understand them. For example, Roosevelt compared the U.S. program of Lend Lease to Britain in 1941 to a neighbor lending a garden hose to a neighbor trying to put out a house fire.

Explanation is a key attribute of leadership communications. Leaders know to inject their communications with verve and enthusiasm as a means of persuasion, but they also need to include an explanation for the excitement. What does it mean and why are we doing it are critical questions that every leader must answer with straightforward explanations. Here are three ways to become an effective explainer.

Define what it is. The purpose of an explanation is to describe the issue, the initiative, or the problem. For example, if you are pushing for cost reductions, explain why they are necessary and what they will entail. Put the cost reductions into the context of business operations. Be certain to explicate the benefits.

Define what it isn't. Here is where the leader moves into the "never assume mode." Be clear to define the exclusions. For example, returning to our cost reduction issue, if you are asking for reductions in costs, not people, be explicit. Otherwise employees will assume they are being axed. Leave no room for assumptions. This is not simply true for potential layoffs but for any business issue.

Define what you want people to do. This becomes an opportunity to issue the call for action. Establishing expectations is critical. Cost reductions mean employees will have to do more with less; explain what that will entail in clear and precise terms. Leaders can also use the expectations step as a challenge for people to think and do differently. Your explanation then takes on broader significance.

Good explainers need to be careful, however, not to overdo the details. In a town hall meeting format, the leader sketches the facts and supports them with data points. Dwelling too long on a single point, or points, risks not simply boring the audience but confusing them. Save detailed explanations, which are necessary, for written documentation or team meetings. The latter presents an opportunity for the next level of leaders to translate the communications into action steps.

As such, detailed explanations work well in face-to-face situations, or in team meetings. They become opportunities to elaborate on possibilities. More important, they also allow individuals to offer their feedback, something that typically cannot occur in large-scale town hall events. The explanation becomes an invitation for discussion, and skillful leaders use it to communicate not simply facts, but also to engage support for their ideas.

One final point. Explanations may include aspirations. On March 31, 1945, Franklin Roosevelt gave a briefing to Congress on his meeting with Churchill and Stalin at Yalta in which the future of post-War Europe was discussed.

During the course of his presentation to Congress, as H.W. Brands writes in a brilliant new biography of Roosevelt, Traitor to His Class, the President, only weeks from death, mused momentarily to talk about the need for enduring peace. "Twenty-five years ago, American fighting men [in reference to World War I] looked to the world to finish the work of peace for which they fought and suffered. We failed them then. We cannot fail them again."

FDR, like all good leaders, knew how to close a good explanation with an equally good challenge; it puts people on notice and gives them a reason for action.

Straight Talk: changing the world at work

2009-07-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

I decided to blog this here instead of my work blog because this deals with personal issues more than professional ones.

A Good Way to Change a Corporate Culture

"I'd like to talk to you about a big project," the woman told me on the phone. "We need to change our culture."

She was a senior leader in a professional services firm, where people really are their most important asset. Only it turns out the people weren't so happy. Theirs was a very successful firm with high revenues, great clients, and hard working employees. But employee satisfaction was abysmally low and turnover rates were staggeringly high. Employees were performing, they just weren't staying.

This firm had developed a reputation for being a terrible place to work. When I met with the head of the firm, he illustrated the problem with a personal example. Just recently, he told me, a client meeting had been scheduled on the day one of his employees was getting married. "I told her she needed to be there. That the meeting was early enough and she could still get to her wedding on time."

He paused and then continued, "I'm not proud of that story, but it's how we've always operated the firm." Then he looked at me, "So, Peter, how do you change the culture of a company?"

Such a simple question. I wanted to give him a simple answer.

But a culture is a complex system with a multitude of interrelated processes and mechanisms that keep it humming along.

Performance reviews and training programs define the firm's expectations. Financial reward systems reinforce them. Memos and communications highlight what's important. And senior leadership actions — promotions for people who toe the line and a dead end career for those who don't — emphasize the firm's priorities.

In most organizations these elements develop unconsciously and organically to create a system that, while not always ideal, works. To change the culture is awkward, self-conscious, and complex. It's better to avoid it if possible.

"Why do you want to change the culture?" I asked him. "The firm seems successful. Highly profitable. The culture seems to be working to support those goals. Why not keep it?"

He had to think for a few moments. "It's not sustainable. Eventually we'll lose our best people. No one will want to work here." And then he paused. "I won't want to work here."

That was good enough for me. But maybe not for everyone else. They'd spent years playing the game by a certain set of rules and they were playing to win. Now the head of the firm wanted to change the rules mid-game. Not easy to do. And not particularly subtle. We'd have to consciously change all the elements that have developed over decades to make up the system.

Or would we? In the late 1970s, University of Illinois researcher Leann Lipps Birch conducted a series of experiments on children to see what would get them to eat vegetables they disliked. This is a high bar. We're not talking about simply eating more vegetables. We're talking about eating specific vegetables, the ones they didn't like.

You could tell the children you expect them to eat their vegetables. And reward them with ice cream if they did. You could explain all the reasons why eating their vegetables is good for them. And you could eat your own vegetables as a good role model. Those things might help.

But Birch found one thing that worked predictably. She put a child who didn't like peas at a table with several other children who did. Within a meal or two, the pea-hater was eating peas like the pea-lovers.

Peer pressure.

We tend to conform to the behavior of the people around us. Which is what makes culture change particularly challenging because everyone is conforming to the current culture. Sometimes though, the problem contains the solution.

"Stories." I said to the head of the firm.

"Excuse me?" he responded.

"You change a culture with stories. Right now your stories are about how hard you work people. Like the woman you forced to work on her wedding day. You may not be proud of it, but it's the story you tell. That story conveys your culture simply and reliably. And I'm certain you're not the only one who tells it. You can be sure the bride tells it. And all her friends. If you want to change the culture, you have to change the stories."

I told him not to change the performance review system, the rewards packages, the training programs. Don't change anything. Not yet anyway. For now, just change the stories. For a while there will be a disconnect between the new stories and the entrenched systems promoting the old culture. And that disconnect will create tension. Tension that can be harnessed to create mechanisms to support the new stories.

To start a culture change all we need to do is two simple things:

Do dramatic story-worthy things that represent the culture we want to create. Then let other people tell stories about it.

Find other people who do story-worthy things that represent the culture we want to create. Then tell stories about them.

For example, if you want to create a faster moving, less perfectionist culture, instead of berating someone for sending an email without proper capitalization, send out a memo with typos in it.

Or if you want managers and employees to communicate more effectively, stop checking your computer in the middle of a conversation every time the new message sound beeps. Instead, put your computer to sleep when they walk in your office.

Or if you're trying to create a more employee-focused culture, instead of making the bride work on her wedding day, give her the week off.

We live by stories. We tell them, repeat them, listen to them carefully, and act in accordance with them. (emphasis mine)

We can change our stories and be changed by them.

Straight Talk: on joining an online movement

2009-06-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

Just signed up. You should, too.

Straight Talk: different view on poverty alleviation

2009-06-12T01:44:00.000-07:00

Awesome read

Why the Fight against Poverty Is Failing: A Contrarian View
Published: October 31, 2006 in India Knowledge@Wharton

Abraham George is the founder of The George Foundation, an NGO engaged in humanitarian work in India, and the author of India Untouched: The Forgotten Face of Rural Poverty. In this contrarian essay, he explores why the current strategies that governments and development agencies are employing to reduce poverty are not working the way they should. Among his arguments: Microcredit programs, as they are now practiced in India, do little to help the poor.

By the World Bank's broad definition of poverty ($2.00 or less a day per person), there are more poor people in the world today than a quarter century ago. Nearly half the world's population, over three billion people, lives in poverty. In India alone, two-thirds of its one billion-plus population is poor. Yet, the strategy for alleviating poverty across practically every developing nation has remained essentially the same for the past several decades.

There is plenty of talk about ways to increase income, reduce illiteracy and ill-health, and empower women. The increased attention given to these issues and pledges of additional financial assistance by world leaders are not matched by new and effective national initiatives that can significantly reduce poverty. So far, none of the poor countries has been able to achieve any of its key developmental targets. The emphasis is still on more funding for programs that have been in existence for many years. Yet these programs have had only marginal effect, and have not kept up with population increases.

My personal experience on developmental projects is confined to India, but the broader lessons learned there are applicable to most developing countries. What follows explains what I consider are misconceptions in the current approaches, and how the attack on global poverty can be far more successful.

International Development Assistance Hasn't Worked

The UN Millennium project argues that it is the poverty trap of poor health, poor education and poor infrastructure reinforcing each other rather than bad planning, corruption, and ineffective execution that is hindering development of poor countries. The idea is that underdeveloped nations can be saved through more outside assistance and by expanding existing programs that are run mostly by governments. Those who support this notion want the World Bank and other international agencies and donors to make increased contributions to supplement domestic government resources. But there is very little evidence that foreign assistance has made much difference in overcoming the poverty trap in any country.

As a consequence of the financial assistance received from international agencies, national governments rely on strategies developed by planners at organizations such as the World Bank and the United Nations. There is no shortage of ideas, enthusiasm, and expectations at the planning level, but what is lacking is good execution.

Planners have no responsibility for ensuring that funded projects meet their goals in the field. Other than requiring periodic written reports and demonstration of individual cases where success has been prearranged, there is little feedback or accountability. Beneficiaries are not in a position to let their views be known, nor do they understand what is expected in the longer run.

Misuse of Funds

Governments, international agencies and donors have spent billions of dollars to address poverty. For example, in rural India, the government spends significant funds on subsidies (for electricity, fertilizer, fuels, etc.), food rations, price supports, land allocation/distribution, job training and financial assistance for initiatives in agriculture and small businesses. Loans from the World Bank and other international agencies and bilateral aid supplement domestic government resources. But who has benefited from all these programs and assistance?

The beneficiaries are usually corrupt officials who manage and distribute funds, and landlords and powerbrokers who directly or indirectly extract benefits for themselves. In India, over 90% of the agricultural land is owned and partly cultivated by less than 10% of the rural population who are termed farmers; others are mostly laborers. Governments allocate land to the poor, but they are unable to utilize it because of limited water resources, bad soil conditions, and/or the inability to secure credit. Larger subsidies benefit bigger farmers, but the poor do not gain much directly from any government programs.

The presumption that with more money, corrupt and inefficient governments and bureaucratic institutions will utilize funds efficiently and improve the deplorable conditions of the poor is an illusion. There are too many impediments to poverty reduction: bribery, political influence in the allocation of land and/or credit, diffused focus and priorities, poor execution, a shortage of rural infrastructure, and social inequality, among other factors. Supporters of the "more money" approach should be reminded of what the late Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi once admitted: Less than 15 cents of each dollar in assistance intended for the poor finally gets to them. That is not to say that assistance should not be increased. But the real focus should be on ensuring that the allocated resources reach the poor.

Corruption and misallocation of development funds are ultimately the result of failed governance. Why bad governance? Unethical and illegal practices flourish in countries without free and independent press to investigate wrongful practices. Where the press is not sufficiently strong, there is little chance of preventing the "opportunistic behavior" of individuals, businesses and officials. Corruption can be reduced by assuring press freedom and strengthening private social institutions (such as advocacy groups) that stay independent. (Surprisingly, a democracy like India does not permit private radio stations to broadcast daily news!)

If citizens cannot rely on an impartial judicial system, there is little hope for a just and fair society. Societies that do not protect property and persone from predators cannot expect to create sufficient wealth for everyone. It is the erosion of press independence and the weakness of legal system that are most troubling.

The Limited Role of NGOs

There are several participants in the developmental arena: national and foreign governments, international agencies, private companies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The role of NGOs has gained attention in recent years as they focus on micro-issues and provide grass-roots assistance. Many have taken up projects to improve the quality of education and healthcare, while focusing on specific critical areas such as HIV/AIDS, illiteracy and women's empowerment.

NGOs have been advocates for the poor, pointing out issues of concern and presenting ideas for improvement, often figuring out how to press through the corrupt and self-serving regulations faced by their beneficiaries. Several are involved in income generation activities, offering microcredit or assisting with water resource management and use of indigenous technology. Some private companies have formed NGOs to attract grants from their governments and international agencies. These efforts usually complement those of governments in the implementation process.

Despite positive contributions, NGOs have not been involved in major developmental undertakings intended to create large employment and wide income generation through sustainable businesses. This is attributable to their lacking good managerial skills and organizational structure to take up business ventures. Further, donor funds are usually restricted to narrowly defined projects. Consequently, the role that NGOs are best suited to play is in support of projects funded by governments and international agencies, or those limited initiatives approved by private donors.

Unfortunately, those NGOs that actually carry out developmental work in the field are stuck within programs specified by planners in developmental agencies and donor institutions. New ideas that deviate from those already specified by planners seldom qualify for any funding. Thus, project proposals are prepared to reflect the requirements set by these planners in terms of methodology and outcomes. There is little initiative from the ground up, and no real feedback. Demonstrating compliance on paper ends up more important than actually getting the job done effectively. As a result, recipients of developmental funds spend significant time preparing reports for the planners to qualify for continued funding, and less time worrying about what benefits the poor.

Microfinance Is Not a Panacea

The expression "social entrepreneurship" was coined to reflect corporate benevolence toward the poor. Muhammad Yunus, who founded the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh in 1976, intended exactly that when he started giving poor people credit and assisting them in their local business ventures. Subsequently, many NGOs around the world started offering small loans to women who could otherwise not obtain credit from commercial banks. As different microcredit programs sprang up in poor countries, governments, international agencies and private donors joined in with necessary capital. Several experts in these institutions termed microcredit a revolutionary concept, and there is growing belief among many that it might be the way to solve poverty.

Today, some for-profit funds and supposedly not-for-profit organizations market microcredit lending in developing countries, and even offer advertised returns on investment. One such microcredit intermediary in India recently publicized that it has been charging 36% interest until recently, when it dropped the rate to 26% for some borrowers by making the lending process more efficient. After all, it argued, credit card companies charge as high as 28% interest for credit-risk customers.

The assumption is that poor people can be rescued quickly and easily with a modicum of money. (Microcredit is intended mainly for starting or expanding small businesses run by borrowers.) The claim is that microcredit (loans of around $100) has lifted tens of millions out of poverty in the developing world. However, assertions that more than 90% of the people who receive microcredit are poor, that most of them succeed in businesses started with these loans, and that they repay the loans at 24% annual interest or higher, go unchallenged.

So far, there has not been any outcry on the high rate of interest. The poor do not have any voice in, or understanding of, financial markets. They are happy to get loans to meet personal emergencies (such as expenses toward surgery, marriage or dowry) or to pay off financial obligations to local money lenders who charge even higher rates. Microcredit intermediaries claim that this is social entrepreneurship, and not living on the backs of the poor.

In my personal experience in rural India, I have observed that a small number of people, mostly village leaders and their family members, operate the few shops and businesses. They are the only ones who have the support mechanisms, knowledge, and skills to make a business succeed. A great majority of the poor rural populations do not have the ability or experience to start or run businesses, with or without access to credit. To expect them to succeed in business is unrealistic. They are uneducated and labor for landowners and for the few nearby businesses. At best, they might benefit from the trickle down effect if landlords and small businesses prosper.

The George Foundation is engaged in poverty alleviation projects in rural Tamil Nadu, India, focusing on income generation activities, education, healthcare and community development. The foundation has studied some 17 villages and over 50 microcredit programs in South India. Data show that less than 5% of those receiving micro-loans start any business of their own. One preferred activity is buying and selling sheep, hopefully at a profit equal to the wages foregone. These types of activities are unsustainable in the long run. Consequently, less than 2% continue beyond the first three years, and very few succeed in any such "business" with small amounts of money and little or no support, training, or skills.

Microcredit lenders are not concerned about what the borrowers do with their loans. Loans are usually made to individuals, but guaranteed by groups that can demonstrate their capacity to repay. Most borrowers of microcredit repay loans from income received at regular jobs, or from grants provided by governments for self-help programs. Not surprisingly, it is the intermediaries -- commercial banks and loan facilitators -- that gain the most from the spread between the cost of funds for the intermediaries and the loan interest charged by them. Commercial banks in India, for example, receive funds for microcredit programs from the government-run NABARD bank at 5% to 6%. They then lend at 10% to12% to a microcredit intermediary which, in turn, lends at 24% to 36% to the final borrower.

The assurance of loan repayment makes microcredit popular among lenders, in addition to the high interest charged. Borrowers are motivated to repay loans because of an expectation of future monetary benefits. If one borrows and repays twice (no need to start any business, but maintain good paperwork), then he/she becomes eligible for a grant for $100 or more from a separate government program (each state offers its own variation of this facility). The free money from the government can be used to repay the third micro-loan made to that beneficiary. The government is short the amount of the grant, but the borrower is debt free, and the microcredit middle man is assured of capital and high returns.

Why this round about way to offer free money when there are several direct means to reduce the debt burden of the poor? The answer probably lies in the fact that this form of "hand-out" is invisible within "social entrepreneurships". Moreover, major financial institutions have become embroiled in this commercial activity. A new breed of educated and well-trained loan sharks, with bank support, is now in the microcredit business in India. Microcredit has become a trendy cure-all. If poverty alleviation were a matter of lending, the world could eradicate poverty easily. It would cost about $300 billion at $100 per person -- a small sum in comparison to the trillions of dollars already expended over the past half a century. The present form of microcredit, as practiced in India, results in little or no sustainable development benefit for the poor.

Importance of Private Sector Participation

In developing countries, the government bears the primary responsibility for delivering basic services for the poor. It has traditionally been the agent for healthcare, education and job training, especially due to the inability of rural populations to pay for basic services. A significant portion of the costs associated with public services will continue to be borne by the state until rural incomes rise and/or until the private sector finds it attractive to be involved in such efforts.

Government-run institutions have, for the most part, failed to offer quality services because they are unable to motivate those who carry out the tasks in the field. Those who can afford to pay for quality services rely on private providers. Even those who work for government go to private clinics for their healthcare needs, and send their children to private schools. Quality will never improve unless service providers have the incentive to serve the poor. Until then, the "haves" have markets to choose from, while the "have-nots" have bureaucrats to dictate to them.

But, lack of affordability should not prohibit private sector participation. With NGOs as project facilitators, opportunities exist for public-private partnership. Private institutions can deliver services at reduced prices, but at a profit, within a competitive and independently monitored system where the costs are subsidized or even fully paid for by the government.

In developing countries there is no serious effort to involve private companies, though most rural areas are, in fact, ideally suited for industries in herbal products, alternate fuels, cement and tile, lumber and pulp, meat, dairy and poultry. These private industries should function in a free market with sufficient checks and balances to ensure that they operate in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. By offering job opportunities in villages, they would alleviate migration to cities for employment.

Financial incentives like low-interest loans and tax breaks, and physical infrastructure improvements will motivate private companies to build factories in rural areas. Elimination of controls on the sale of agricultural products, and assistance in finding new markets will attract many businesses. These measures will in turn improve the demand for produce and boost commodity prices to levels that can financially sustain rural families. Further, international agencies and donors must consider equity participation in companies instead of simply channeling funds through governments or offering grants. They should provide loans at low interest rates directly to local entrepreneurs who can demonstrate an ability to run successful businesses. In short, some of the available developmental funds must be used to support commercial activities in deprived communities. With more economic activity, the poor labor class can gain employment at better wages.

Government's role ought to be that of a catalyst. There should be no room for bribes. The focus should be to provide incentives for private (and community) participation. When private individuals and institutions find it worthwhile to take risks and invest in economically depressed areas, there will be sustainable development and poverty reduction. As incomes rise, there will be less need for government involvement in the delivery of many services currently provided.

It is not money alone but integrity and ideas that will make the real difference. A noted economist once asked me how I would go about improving the productivity of rural laborers on our farms. Creative thinking was my thought! We have instituted a program of de-worming drugs every six months, and daily iron tablets and protein-rich nutritional supplements prepared from locally available grains and nuts. Our workers wear wide hats protecting them from direct sunlight. These are simple, low cost measures, but they have contributed to a healthier and more productive labor force on our farms. For less than $10 per person a year, we have doubled their productivity!

A New Model for Corporate Philanthropy

Contrary to the recognized activities of NGOs, our foundation has embarked on a path similar to those of private organizations: We build institutions, develop human resources and managerial skills, and undertake major commercial projects -- for humanitarian reasons. One project currently underway is a 250-acre banana farm, the second largest in South India. My life-long experience in business, my convictions about free and open markets and the need to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit in the individual have helped me not to rely on donor funds alone. Instead, our foundation has invested in sustainable projects that generate "profits" as well as steady income for the poor.

Our decision to confine business activities to farming results from the fact that the rural adult population in India is generally illiterate and lacks industrial skills. It is farming that gives them opportunities to better their lives; it is what villagers have a natural affinity for; and it is an industry where large numbers can be employed.

With the goal of empowering poor women and elevating their income-generating capacity, The George Foundation set up Baldev Farms, a "learn while you earn" program. The farm uses precision agricultural tools, organic fertilizers and superior technology in drip irrigation to conserve water. Apart from the farm workers' daily wages, we set a portion of the profits generated from the sale of produce in a savings account to be used at the end of five years for the purchase of one third to one half acre of land for each family. Families will then cultivate their newly purchased land, sharing resources, such as wells and tractors. The foundation will remain a support organization to help address concerns and difficulties, while also offering know-how and access to markets.

Within three years of starting Baldev Farms, more than 150 villagers, mostly women, have found labor and supervisory employment in the field; hundreds of others have benefited indirectly. Most have already come out of poverty, paid off their debt and freed themselves from bonded labor status. As the foundation expands its farming activity in high-value fruits and vegetables, it will soon generate sufficient cash flow to finance other humanitarian initiatives.

Though the final chapter on this program is not yet written, the concept of offering each poor family a piece of the land to cultivate profitable crops is proving to be sound. With the profit sharing plan in place, everyone in our farm is highly motivated, takes initiatives and works hard. It is becoming increasingly clear to us that good management and a dedicated work force are assuring profitability to empower the poor.

Admittedly, our "corporate" approach to philanthropy cannot be replicated by most NGOs. Only private for-profit companies have skill bases and resources to undertake such business ventures. But they must recognize that market opportunities can be tapped only when the purchasing power of consumers rises. Hence, for the foreseeable future, investment in the rural sector ought to be toward production as opposed to selling to the "bottom of the pyramid." In the longer run, it is competitive markets and involvement of the community in sustainable development projects that will solve poverty.

As long as significant poverty exists around the world, and the disparity between the rich and the poor widens, private companies in developing countries need to make a contribution to solving the problem. A dialogue must begin between and among business leaders on devising rules for business conduct in deprived communities. The model must consider how poor people can be brought into the mainstream of consumers with sufficient purchasing power within a reasonable time period. Those who work must earn enough to be able to come out of poverty. Minimum wages and benefits must be adequate to meet at least basic human needs, and farmers must be able to sell their crops at prices that assure a fair net gain. Economic success and social justice must go hand in hand.

There is serious concern in many circles, and rightly so, about whether the private sector can be trusted to operate fairly in communities that are poor. The fear is that free markets mean exploitation, citing what they call the "Wal-Mart Syndrome" of forcing suppliers, especially those from poor countries, to offer products at prices that leave little gain for workers.

Troubling issues like this one will always exist. But they can be addressed through effective enforcement of laws and regulations concerning minimum wages, worker safety and benefits, non-competitive practices and environmental protection. Private companies must resist the temptation to extract government funds for their business activities in the name of social entrepreneurship. They must recognize that it is in their long-term interest to win the support of the communities where they operate. Repressive local norms in compensation and treatment of labor must be replaced with fair practices that assist the poor in adequately caring for their families. Market forces of supply and demand and competition for gaining a dedicated labor force and loyal consumers are powerful factors in motivating good behavior on the part of corporations.

There are no easy answers. Poverty, in large part, can be solved if the poor gain new skills and if more jobs become available in the rural sector. For some, the solution lies in ownership of a permanent income generating asset: land. The poor need to have the opportunity to own and develop land, and grow profitable crops that can be sold in a competitive market.

More money is not a prerequisite for success; proper use of available funds is. There is no substitute for good planning, effective organization and execution with accountability. Only those who bear financial risk can be expected to perform effectively.

Handouts will not solve poverty; neither will it be solved by grand government projects, or by piecemeal interventions of NGOs. Instead, poverty will be solved with vibrant economic activity driven mostly by the private sector. The hundreds of millions of new jobs that are needed each year will come mainly from corporate business ventures in rural areas. The developmental strategy to address poverty must embrace this reality.

A market-based approach to poverty reduction will result in income and wealth creation, and lay the groundwork for the next generation to avail of a wider range of opportunities with enhanced resources.

Straight Talk: build communities not just houses

2009-06-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

While the article is India-centric, there are points of resonance with local needs and activities. Gawad Kalinga comes to mind as the leading privately-led community-building charity in the country.

The article highlights the main reasons why forcible relocations by national, regional (read: MMDA) and local governments do not work, especially when the relocation is done in remote, inaccessible sites with poor or no basic services/utilities available.

Good read.

India's Rural Poor: Why Housing Isn't Enough to Create Sustainable Communities

Published: August 23, 2007 in India Knowledge@Wharton

India's desire to become the world's next big economic power is as real as the enormous challenges it faces in raising the social and economic well being of its rural populations. According to Abraham George, founder of The George Foundation, an NGO focused on poverty alleviation in South India, "The issue of adequate housing is integral to poverty reduction and social justice" in India. In this opinion piece, George describes the living conditions of the rural poor and argues that government resettlement programs are inefficient and perpetuate caste-driven schisms. Instead of simply supplying shelter for the inhabitants of rural villages, he says, these programs need to work towards a larger goal of building "healthy and sustainable communities."

Mahatma Gandhi is often quoted as having said, "India lives in the villages." That statement is as true today as it was more than 60 years ago. Nearly 70% of India's 1.1 billion-plus population still lives in 600,000 or so villages. If India is to be truly understood, it is the lives of these people that really count.

Most "outsiders" or urbanites have a nostalgic view of rural India. They think of villages as peaceful havens where people live simple lives, where the air is pure and the land is green as far as the eye can see. Some of those images are indeed true, but the realities of day-to-day life for a great majority of rural people are nothing short of cruel. A living story of economic deprivation, social injustice and hopelessness has prevailed for centuries. The real story of rural India must be told with more than five hundred million characters who live on less than a dollar a day, most of them in terrible living conditions.

Statistics Mask Reality

Many of the rural poor work the fields in agriculture and are employed by the few landowners who reside in their villages. Several others pursue caste-associated occupations -- priests, carpenters, blacksmiths, barbers, weavers, potters, oil-pressers, leatherworkers, sweepers and so on. Lately, with increased economic activity in nearby towns, many commute outside their villages every day to work as drivers, construction laborers, packers and in other industrial jobs. Some migrate to cities for months, leaving their families behind. But despite the increasing demand in cities for labor met by rural migration, and the income generated by such employment, the living conditions for most rural people remain far from what can be called "acceptable."

According to the Indian government and the World Bank, less than 30% of the nation is poor, and 70% of the poor (225 million) live in the villages. These official statistics are based on a per capita consumption expenditure of Rs. 356 ($8.70) per month, or Rs. 11.70 ($0.28) per day. This low yardstick grossly undercounts the number of poor people in rural India, and certainly does not reflect the living conditions for most of them.

For example, The George Foundation's recent survey of nine villages in Hosur Taluk in Tamil Nadu state showed that more than 80% of the people live on a daily income of less than one dollar, the internationally accepted definition for poverty. Given the proximity of the surveyed villages to the rapidly growing city of Bangalore, this estimate reflects a more prosperous picture than what is true for most of rural India.

Development of countries is often judged by certain economic and social statistics compiled by national governments and major international agencies such as the World Bank and the United Nations. By these aggregate measures, India has made significant progress in recent years, especially since liberalization measures were introduced in 1991. For example, the GDP growth rate now stands at 9.4% per year, much better than the less than 4% experienced during the 1990s. Life expectancy at birth has now improved to 64 years from 56 years 20 years ago; infant mortality has fallen to 5.6% from 8.1%; primary school attendance has risen to 74% from 65%, and the adult literacy rate is 61% as compared to 50%, all during the same period.

There is no arguing that there has been improvement, but these statistics mask many realities that paint a far poorer picture of the country, especially in rural India. For example, consider the following: The rural economic growth rate has been stagnant -- at around 2% to 2.5% a year -- during the past decade, mainly because of the weak performance of the agricultural sector. This marginal expansion barely keeps up with the 1.75% annual increase in rural population, thus offering very little improvement in income and living standards for most people in the villages.

More than half of all children in the country under the age of four suffer from malnutrition; this statistic is far higher for rural children. The government has built a vast system of more than 170,000 primary health centers and sub-centers throughout the country, and more are added each year, yet most of them are either dysfunctional or do not regularly provide even the minimal level of basic health care.

Though primary school enrollment is exceptionally good, the education students receive in most rural schools is unacceptably bad, and less than 10% among them graduate from high school. While government statistics on national literacy have steadily improved for years, several independent studies have shown that less than 20% of the rural population can read or write beyond their own names, and an even smaller percentage can do simple arithmetic.

Our foundation's survey of 17 villages in Hosur Taluk showed that less than 15% of the "lower caste" people who comprise over 70% of the population could write the number corresponding to their age. Given these and other realities, one has to wonder what meaningful progress has been achieved in many important areas, especially among the rural population.

Rural Living Conditions

National indicators regularly published by governments and international agencies do not include any statistics on the living conditions as exemplified by the type of housing available. Nor are there any published statistics on the average space available -- or density -- for each person in a house.

Housing is one of the top priorities for most people, regardless of their income levels. In my interviews with many poor village women, practically everyone listed housing as their most important need -- above food, health care and education for their children. Without the security and comfort of a home, there is no escaping the difficulties resulting from poverty. Poor people do not have the financial means to buy or construct houses with their savings, and therefore they live in their ancestral huts, those rented from landlords (with ensuing obligations), or government-supplied houses.

Poverty levels measured by monetary expenditures toward food do not adequately capture the quality of life that is greatly affected by the type of available housing. Adequate housing is considered by many to be a fundamental human right regardless of income level -- a basic necessity for all that cannot be denied in a fair and equitable society. It is interrelated with other aspects of life such as health and education. For example, children cannot study in a poorly lit house. Respiratory disorders among rural population in India are often the result of unfavorable housing and poor living conditions. Asthma and bronchitis are caused by pollen grains, dust mites, animal waste and several environmental factors related to bad housing conditions. Poor sanitation and hygiene, inadequate ventilation and smoke inhalation are all associated aspects of poor housing that affect health and social development.

According to the National Family Health Survey, concluded in 2000 by the Indian government, only 19% of the rural population lives in pucca (strong) houses, while the remaining live in kaccha (weak) and semi-pucca houses with mud walls and thatched roofs. Eighty-seven percent of homes in the villages do not have toilet facilities. Cooking is usually done inside the house under inadequate ventilation with biomass such as dried cow-dung, fire wood, dry weeds or crop residue, exacerbating the risk of tuberculosis.

The 2001 Indian Census estimated that 40% of rural houses do not have separate kitchens. When cooking is done inside the house, it is usually on the floor in the corner of a room, sometimes separated by a half-wall. Smoke fills the entire house during cooking, but occupants usually prefer to remain inside. Coughing and spitting are the resulting outcome, symptomatic of what finally leads to chronic illnesses.

Profile of a Rural Village

A typical Indian village has a resident population of around one thousand. While the layout of one village is different from another, the following description might be representative of a vast majority.

Most villages are small and dense, with huts on either side of narrow lanes. Open drainage usually runs along those lanes, clogged and infested with mosquitoes. Except for those belonging to "upper castes," homes are usually placed close to each other -- four to five feet apart -- especially when the government builds housing for the poor.

Landlords have their ancestral homes consisting of several rooms, one of which is set aside for storing grain and supplies. Often, prominent families of the upper castes live next to a courtyard and a temple, which is usually set aside for those same upper castes. "Lower castes" worship at a separate temple, a small decorated room with an idol, in another section of the village or elsewhere. Most villages have an open well or a bore-well, and separate times are set for upper and lower castes to fetch water.

Most villages have both lower and upper castes living in separate sections. People belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) are required to live in an area designated for them. Those belonging to "Most Backward Classes," "Backward Classes" and "Other Backward Classes" -- as they are officially categorized -- usually live in the same area where "Other Classes (Upper Castes)" live, but they do not mix with even lower castes.

When the government builds homes for lower castes, it ensures this caste separation. In many instances, the government sets up housing colonies exclusively for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, and hence, an entire new village might consist of families belonging to only those castes.

Larger villages might have a school, a panchayat (local governing body) office and a small gathering room for meetings. One or two huts might also serve as a shop-cum-residence, selling sweets and small household supplies. A somewhat leveled area might serve as a playground for children. There are no vegetable or flower gardens in the village, and farms are generally outside on adjacent land owned by landlords or a small number of people who might have been allocated government land for cultivation.

Paved or unpaved narrow roads connect one village to another, usually separated by a few kilometers. One paved road (often not well maintained) connects several villages to a rural town nearby where the government has set up a primary health center to serve 25,000 people or more. These towns have many shops that cater to the daily needs of people living in the villages nearby.

A Typical Rural House

The rural poor live in huts and government-supplied "houses" that are no more than 150-200 sq. ft. in floor area. Huts are usually constructed from mud blocks, roofs are thatched and the floors are covered with a mud and cow-dung paste that serves as a disinfectant.

Houses supplied by the government are constructed with cement blocks or bricks, the floor is cement, and the roof is made of concrete or asbestos. Usually there is only one room in the house, but in some cases a half-wall may be built to separate out the kitchen.

These houses do not have their own toilets, but common toilets are made available at some distance at one corner of the village for several families to share. More often than not, these toilets do not function nor are they maintained, doors are broken or absent, and there is limited or no access to water close by. Hence, most people prefer to go into a wooded section or elsewhere in the village or nearby field where there is privacy.

Our foundation recently completed a field survey of two panchayats consisting of nine villages in Hosur Taluk with 986 huts and houses for a total population of 4,850 residents. The average number of people per dwelling was 4.9. Huts are very small in size, often without windows, and a narrow opening serves as the entrance.

Government-supplied houses are around 190 sq. ft. in floor area which works out to 38 sq. ft. of floor space per person -- only slightly more space than a full-size bed. Every house has two small windows, but they are not sufficient to permit cross ventilation or cooking smoke to escape freely. Those who have domestic animals such as cows or goats usually keep them inside their houses during the night.

At least a third of all houses included in the survey required major repairs for leaky roofs, cracks in walls and damaged doors. None of the lower caste residents has the financial means to spend money on house repairs. While government-built houses are provided free of cost, residents are required to pay a small tax to the panchayat.

The Tamil Nadu government estimates that a typical house for the poor costs around Rs. 45,000 to build. The state allocates houses to families belonging to scheduled and depressed castes based on their economic status. However, anyone officially classified as "poor" is eligible for a government grant of up to Rs. 45,000 (about $1,125) toward construction, provided that the applicant owns suitable land for the house. The government offers different financial schemes through banks that permit families to borrow money at zero to low interest rates (10% to 12%) for purchasing or developing land, and for construction of the dwelling. It also offers grants of up to Rs. 10,000 ($250) for renovation of an existing house.

Most poor people do not have the ability to apply for these benefits without the assistance of middlemen or the direct intervention of government officials. Such intervention is expensive for the beneficiary because it invites kickbacks, commissions and bribes. Further, government-built houses are usually substandard because of poor workmanship and use of defective materials.

A Failing Housing Program

Despite the allocation of considerable funds by central and state governments, the housing program for the poor is failing for a number of reasons. The plan is ill-conceived, focusing on offering shelter as opposed to improving living conditions, and executed without sufficient thought about many inter-related considerations.

While the government is the main promoter of housing schemes, several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and social entrepreneurship ventures have also entered the arena. For the most part, NGOs have to rely on donor funds that are hard to come by, and therefore their contribution has not been significant. Social entrepreneurs who expect a certain return on their investment are focusing on lower-middle-class customers who are able to repay a mortgage or pay adequate rental; these investors have not found a suitable financial arrangement to offer housing to those who cannot pay the high interest rates (ranging from 18% to 36%) that are usually charged.

Currently, the total supply of new housing is far short of the 100 million units that are needed at the very least, if the goal is to offer adequate housing for every poor family. Bad construction and poor maintenance are causing the breakdown of houses that were built some time ago, adding to the need for substantial home improvement.

Further, many homes were built without considering the size of the family or its likely new members, and consequently, they are simply too dense or congested. The average floor space of 38 sq. ft per individual, not including the space taken by cattle, creates a very unhealthy and uncomfortable indoor environment.

The focus on offering houses as "shelters" has motivated the government to look for cheap construction without offering even basic necessities. Without a small separate kitchen and adequate cross ventilation, for example, the entire house is turned into a smoke stack not suited for human habitation. The absence of an adjacent toilet with each house is inconsistent with any reasonable concept of meeting minimum human needs. Unless existing houses are extended to include a separate kitchen with proper ventilation and a small toilet, they cannot be considered "livable" dwellings.

Additionally, government housing perpetuates the centuries-old practice of separation of residences based on caste. Instead of trying to break down this discriminatory practice, houses being built by the government for the "scheduled castes" ensure this separation. Further, the government has created a number of identical structures in new areas, effectively creating "scheduled caste colonies." It is hard to reconcile the government's official position concerning discrimination and human rights, and what it actually practices.

Focus on Community

The housing program as currently implemented will hardly improve the living standards of the poor, nor will it contribute to social justice. Before more funds are expended toward public housing, the government is well advised to reconsider its approach to the problem. In arriving at a new strategy for housing, planners must not lose sight of other, interrelated goals such as offering basic amenities, preventing diseases and assuring social integration. The approach must shift from the current focus on offering shelter to developing healthy and integrated communities. That might imply a departure from a caste-based approach to assistance based on income levels.

While a great majority of the poor belong to lower castes at the present time, and therefore would be eligible for assistance under this approach, those belonging to higher castes should not be denied assistance if they deserve it for reasons of low income. Only then would it be possible to bring about social integration between different castes. This will also permit upward mobility for lower caste families who are able to afford better and bigger homes. Mixed-income housing programs have been successfully implemented in countries like the U.S. to bring about integration across race and class, and India should not shy away from taking similar approaches to achieving social equality among all its citizens.

Instead of replacing huts with cemented houses at the same location, a better strategy might be to develop new communities at another location close by. That would offer considerable flexibility in properly laying out the entire housing complex. These new developments may incorporate facilities for sharing water, sewage processing and bio-gas production, as well as fruit and vegetable gardens and small shops. When resources are shared instead of wasted, and everyone lives in healthy conditions, overall productivity will increase considerably.

Community development will certainly call for larger initial investment than what is required for building shelters. However, the long-term benefits associated with creating healthy and sustainable communities are likely to be far greater than the short term savings from building low-cost housing.

It is possible to recover some of the additional costs associated with community development through innovative financing schemes that require extended repayments by beneficiaries commensurate with their increasing income levels. An appropriate partnership between government, donors, investors and financial institutions can pave the way for financial solutions that make it possible for beneficiaries to carry some of the burden.

The issue of adequate housing is integral to poverty reduction and social justice. It must not be viewed in isolation, but as part of an effort to develop harmonious and healthy communities. In all these issues, the real solution lies in good public governance, building strong human foundations through education and health care, creating economic opportunity, and ensuring social justice for all.

Straight Talk: the downsides of home ownership

2009-06-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

This works opposite to what we have been raised to believe (throw in the car and the perfect lawn).

So You Think Owning a Home Will Make You Happy? Don't Be Too Sure

Published: June 10, 2009 in Knowledge@Wharton

For generations, owning a home has been viewed as the cornerstone of the American Dream, the foundation for a happy family life and long-term financial security. Now, a new research paper challenges that conventional wisdom. Wharton's Grace Wong Bucchianeri, a professor of real estate, says her research shows that while homeowners do experience significant joy, they also face more aggravation, spend less time with friends and are even heavier than renters living in comparable homes.

Past research into the mood of homeowners showed that people felt a sense of pride and comfort in having their name on a deed. Bucchianeri argues that her research shows, however, that once the data are controlled for a range of variables, owning a home appears to deliver no more happiness than signing a monthly rent check.

In a working paper titled, "The American Dream or The American Delusion? The Private and External Benefits of Homeownership," Bucchianeri examines survey data from some 600 women in Ohio and weighs it across tax records and census data to study how homeownership affects the moods and feelings of individuals as well as their social interactions. "Homeowners report more positive results, but if you control for basic characteristics such as income, how nice the home is and health status, those results go away," explains Bucchianeri. "This suggests that our perception that homeowners are better off than renters might be fueled only by casual observations. The conventional wisdom might not hold up so well when you look at the data carefully."

Misery and Subprime Mortgages

Bucchianeri's research seems particularly relevant today because the bursting of the housing bubble has led to a good deal of stress -- both financial and psychological. As a result of the subprime mortgage crisis, she says her findings may help potential homebuyers take a deeper look at their motives for owning a home. They should not pursue homeownership because it is perceived to be a key ingredient in a meaningful and successful life. Renters may lack some freedom and flexibility in their lives and there are some financial risks to long-term renting. "Still, there are financial risks we are now seeing connected with homeownership," she adds.

Interestingly, Bucchianeri's research is based on 2005 data collected before the housing crash. Even in a period of optimism about housing as a financial investment, she found that homeownership does not necessarily represent the fulfillment of a dream. "Overall, I found little evidence that homeowners are happier by any of the following definitions: life satisfaction, overall mood, overall feeling, general moment-to-moment emotions and affect at home," Bucchianeri writes. "The average homeowner, however, consistently derives more pain (but no more joy) from a house and home."

A homeowner herself since 2005, Bucchianeri says, "I know there are aspects of homeownership that are not so enjoyable. My thought is homeownership might not be financially -- or emotionally -- for everyone."

Bucchianeri says her research may be helpful in counteracting the widely accepted belief that homeownership carries with it many personal and social benefits. She notes that in a 2003 survey conducted by Fannie Mae, 74% of the respondents said they believe "owning something of your very own" is a reason to buy a home. Bucchianeri notes that without more careful analysis, important public policy matters, such as preserving the mortgage interest tax deduction or other support for housing programs, may be impacted by incomplete, or misleading, information. "This romantic view of homeownership alludes to important private and external benefits of homeownership, separate from the benefits of housing consumption on its own," the paper states.

Bucchianeri explored both subjective and objective measures to determine the private benefits of homeownership and civic engagement. The basis of much of her research is a survey of well-being, demographics and time use reported by women in Franklin County, Ohio, which includes Columbus, the state's largest city. The survey respondents logged their activities in various time periods, or episodes, each day. They then reported the intensity of 10 feelings during each time segment: Impatient, Competent/Confident, Tense/Stressed, Happy, Depressed/Blue, Interested/Focused, Affectionate/Friendly, Calm/Relaxed, Irritated/Angry. Bucchianeri ran that data against other survey data and objective measures such as property tax records to gauge the quality of the home to control for differences in the quality of the housing.

Bucchianeri also examined the intensity of the emotions for each episode to create a net measure of mood for each respondent in the Ohio survey for the entire day. In addition to the episode data, survey respondents were asked broader questions about the level of general satisfaction in their lives. They were also asked about the amount of joy or pain they derive from various aspects of their lives including their neighborhood, house and home, children, family and community activities.

Joy versus Pain

In her analysis Bucchianeri focused on the individual responses and general satisfaction questions, particularly those most relative to her inquiry into homeownership, such as the amount of joy or pain derived from house and home. She used 2000 census data to factor in education, household income and average housing prices to add additional controls that would help her boil down the data to determine whether homeownership itself makes people happier and more satisfied with their lives.

At first glance, the findings reflect the conventional wisdom that homeowners on average tend to be more satisfied with their lives as well as their neighborhoods and homes. However, even on an unadjusted basis, it is clear that homeowners also derive as much pain from their home that is similar in magnitude and significance to the joy they gain from homeownership. Bucchianeri's research indicates that even after controls are applied for financial insecurity -- which is often cited in prior research as the main negative of homeownership -- homeowners report more pain associated with their home. The research also tends to rebut theories that homeowners are happier because they enjoy greater self-esteem and a greater sense of control in their lives.

The average homeowner tends to spend less time on active leisure or with friends, experiences more negative feelings during time spent with friends, derives less joy from love and relationships and is also less likely to enjoy being with people, according to the research paper. Bucchianeri notes that these results do not support the perception that homeowners are "gregarious" but they also do not paint homeowners as being overly burdened with housework. The average homeowner spends less time on leisure -- around three percentage points -- compared to the average respondent in the sample who spends 13.4% of her time awake on active leisure.

On top of all else, the average homeowner tended to be 12 pounds heavier, according to the research. The study found no significant differences in sleep quality, or the use of sleeping pills or depression medication.

Homeownership and Social Participation

In addition to investigating these private, or individual, benefits, Bucchianeri also examined civic aspects of homeownership. Again, she found that despite the conventional wisdom, homeowners are not significantly different in terms of civic participation or social connectedness than renters. The paper states that the most striking finding in regard to social interaction is that average homeowners spend 4% to 6% less time interacting with friends and neighbors and experience more negative feelings when they are with other people. At the same time, these homeowners spend a similar amount of time with their spouses as renters do and less time with their parents and relatives. "So far, my results are contrary to the intuition that homeownership fosters more involved or better family lives. Indeed, it points to less active and less enjoyable social lives," Bucchianeri writes.

When it comes to homeownership and civic participation and social connectedness, Bucchianeri compared indicators such as volunteer work, joy or pain experienced from activities in the community and pain from politics -- but she finds no significant differences by homeownership status. She also discovers little difference between homeowners and renters in participation in religion or satisfaction derived from it.

When Bucchianeri examines civic participation of homeowners against the rate of homeownership in the respondent's neighborhood, she finds evidence that higher ownership rates in the respondents' own demographic and household income groups leads to lower reported pain from the neighborhood. "I do find results that if you are surrounded by people who are homeowners like you, that makes you enjoy the neighborhood and contributes to a positive attitude," says Bucchianeri. She adds that these findings suggest that looking at homeowners versus renters in this context may be too narrow an approach. "It may be more fruitful to look at the mechanics to capture the interactions among homeowners."

Bucchianeri notes that despite the evidence that homeowners do not appear to be living as if they are in a dream, her results would actually tend toward an upward bias in well-being outcomes for homeowners. Homeownership may also open up new opportunities for pain that Bucchianeri can study in the future, including the joy or disappointment homeowners experience as a result of their relative housing position. She says it is difficult to pull out solid findings, "but I think that on average people like living in zip codes with a higher median housing value so they can live in reflected glory."

Bucchianeri cautions that her research should not be used as an argument against homeownership, just as the abstract notion of the American Dream should not be used as an across-the-board endorsement for buying a home. People should balance what they are hoping to get from homeownership itself," she says. "It's really difficult, but more thinking should go into this rather than just accepting the conventional wisdom and going into homeownership by default."

President Obama's inaugural speech

2009-01-20T10:46:00.000-08:00

Reposting the text of the inaugural speech. Very inspiring

OBAMA: My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Straight Talk on running with a cause

2009-01-19T20:34:00.001-08:00

I had vowed to run my first marathon within the year but just for personal reasons. I haven't quite figured out the logistics, the details, the training yet...I guess I haven't built up the confidence or conviction to see this commitment through.

I am rethinking my resolution when I came across an article on SocialVibe about Katie Price, a woman who will raise funds by running the London Marathon for her chosen charity. I am now thinking of running the Milo Marathon this year on behalf of both a local and my SocialVibe charity (Hunger and Poverty). I still don't know how to work this one out but I will use the free time now to get as much information as possible.

Straight Talk on service and volunteerism

2009-01-19T17:06:00.000-08:00

Today, on the eve of Obama's inauguration, we are reminded for the need to serve, to volunteer, to give something of ourselves for others. This help may either be direct involvement in charities or causes or a donation to the same.

I know many of us would like to help but either don't know where or how to get started. I was in that position as well some time back but online friends pointed me to several charity-run and aggregator sites where one may register to participate. Participation comes in several forms: recruitment, awareness, and/or fund-raising. Awareness requires the posting of site badges on personal websites or blogs. Recruitment involves inviting friends to participate in the program, usually through social networking sites. Fund-raising is self-explanatory but with a twist - people may give through numerous online payment gateways like Paypal, VISA/MasterCard/ Discover/AmEx or debit cards.

I have recently signed up on SocialVibe, a charity/cause aggregator and chose Clean Water as my charity. There are numerous others including AIDS care, cancer awareness, poverty alleviation, and the like. Click on the blog title to see one successful project that has allowed the installation of a deep well for 333 individuals in Central Africa.

Given the proliferation of such sites, one will now be hard-pressed to claim ignorance of ways to help.

My 2009 reading

2009-01-18T20:41:00.000-08:00

I tried a free horoscope reading to see how my new year would run.

Section 1: The Sun In The Solar Return Chart

Sun Aspects Jupiter

Although Jupiter transits a new sign every year, Sun-Jupiter aspects do not occur in every solar return chart. The major task associated with Sun-Jupiter aspects is expansion of the personality into new areas of expertise. Hopefully, this expansion will be consistent with the individual's philosophical beliefs and spiritual goals. Jupiter's sign may be significant in some way, though usually it is the house placement that is important. For example, Jupiter in Capricorn can suggest a preoccupation with materialism. (uh-oh) If Jupiter is also in the 4th house of the solar return chart, the individual may be looking to buy a bigger house in a more prestigious neighborhood. The main danger associated with this planet is a tendency toward excessive behavior and a refusal to curb personal needs and desires in consideration of others. (please see registration on SocialVibe.com) Beneficial opportunities are associated with Jupiter; however, there is no guarantee of a positive return. You can augment the possibilities through enthusiasm. (YAY!)

Sun Aspects Mercury

Just as in the natal chart, the solar return Sun is never more than 28 degrees from Mercury so does not form any major aspects other than the conjunction. Mercury conjunct the Sun indicates that the intellectual mind is actively involved in the goals of the Sun. Reading, writing, learning, and communication in all forms will be important to the pursuit. (Blogging is my new thing)

Section 2: Mercury In The Solar Return Chart

Mercury Aspects Jupiter

While Saturn-Mercury aspects are associated with pessimism, Jupiter, on the other hand, can imply optimism, and confidence. You may look forward to the future with great enthusiasm. But what you believe to be possible may differ from your actual experience. Optimism can lead to miscalculations and poor decisions if you overestimate your chances for success or underestimate the amount of time you will require to complete a task. (Looking out for that from now on) Overscheduling is directly related to this inability to foresee possible future difficulties. You might assume that tasks are quite simple, when in fact they are very difficult. You may not be able to honor deadlines and promises you have made if they are unrealistic. The tendency is to overwhelm yourself with too many tasks or projects, too many details to remember. Stress results from these miscalculations.(Been there, lived that)

Dinner with cousins: Saturday, 01/11/09

2009-01-14T10:00:00.001-08:00

Amici Restaurant, Tomas Morato, Quezon City

We said that we were only getting dessert at Amici resto, this after nearly finishing off two huge boxes of pizzas at my aunt's house. Just dessert, riiight.

The pasta with meat sauce was good, if a tad salty.

The cheese sticks were a crowd favorite...this set-up was wiped out soon after this picture was taken

The seafood pasta was my favorite; this will have me returning to Amici in months to come

The table set-up before the family attacked the food.

This was followed by individual scoops of gelato after. It has always been hazelnut flavor for me. I remember my sister and I used to eat gelato wherever we got off the train we took during our last trip through Italy and I never ate anything else except for hazelnut flavor.

Memories are best relived with one's loved ones.

Renewal of Old Ties

2009-01-11T03:29:00.000-08:00

There is much to be said for renewing old ties and nothing could have made this more concrete to me than my recent Grade School reunion.

I wish I could write the different stories but my memory and the need for discretion conspire to restrain me from disclosing much more. The pictures will suffice for now.

Straight Talk on genetics and fat

2009-01-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

I have nothing more to add to this except to claim heritage for my poor body shape and consequent body image issues.

By Caroline Bollinger
From the January 2009 Issue

Leave it to men to agree to stuff their face in the name of science! For 84 out of 100 days, a handful of male identical twins volunteered to consume an extra 1,000 calories per day for a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Theoretically, every guy should have gained the same amount—about 24 pounds—because it takes 3,500 additional calories to put on 1 pound. Instead, each twin gained about the same number of pounds as his twin, but there was a dramatic difference in gain between the twin sets. Some packed on as many as 29 pounds, whereas others saw the scale go up as little as 9.5 pounds. These findings and others have led scientists to estimate that at least 40 percent of our weight may be determined by the genetic cards we're dealt. Here are some potential players in being naturally slim:

Brown fat It sounds and looks gross (it's darker than the white fat we all know and loathe), but brown fat is desirable because it burns more calories. All babies are born with it—it helps generate body heat when we're young and vulnerable to cold—but it may disappear as we develop other ways to stay warm (like learning when to put on a sweater). But at least 8 percent of women keep some brown fat, usually in their neck and chest, says C. Ronald Kahn, M.D., vice chair of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, who's researching brown fat's benefits: "It could be that deposits of brown fat protect some people against weight gain, because they force the body to burn more energy."

Gas-guzzling cells Fuel efficiency is a great quality in a car, but when it comes to your body, wasting energy is the way to go. The less energy you eke out of each calorie you consume, the more calories you burn just to survive. "In humans, caloric efficiency can vary by a couple of percentage points, and that's enough to make a difference in body weight," Ravussin says. An average 150-pound woman who uses only 2 percent less energy per day could store up to 5 extra pounds in a year.

Inner drive You can't turn regular fat into brown, but you can speed your body's rate of calorie burn by building more lean muscle mass with strength training and weight-bearing exercises such as hiking and dancing. Muscle is more metabolically active than white fat, meaning it burns more calories doing nothing. It also feeds off fatty acids released from fat cells, so as muscle builds, fat cells shrink (if you don't eat excess calories). Good trade!

First for the year is a shout-out

2008-12-31T10:33:00.000-08:00

I couldn't have asked for a better start to my blog year than to have my blog referenced to by another blogger, and an influential one at that.

Ms. Janette Toral wrote her 2008 wrap-up and had included the blogs of fellow Plurkers who have provided her with links to their year-end thoughts. I had two entries (i-swipemo and i-sabuhaymo) but she chose my personal journal.

I have provided the link through this entries title. Or you may reach the same at: http://www.influentialblogger.net/2008/12/wrapping-up-2008.html.

A good year in the making indeed.

Farewell 2008

2008-12-30T22:53:00.000-08:00

I couldn't be happier to end this year given the series of personal and professional challenges I faced. In order to usher in the new year, I would like to enumerate my resolution bullet-points for 2009:

1. Blog more. I intend to populate all my blogs meaningfully.

2. Work effectively. No longer will I just do a job for compliance but seek specific tasks that translate in quantifiable results.

3. Eat better. No more diet soda. Less processed flour and sugar products (goodbye brownies and cinammon rolls, I barely knew you). Less fast food. More fruits.

4. Engage more. I will exert more of an effort to get out and meet people, especially interesting people with unique perspectives.

5. Deeper self evaluation. I promise to no longer be stumped when asked for my strengths & weaknesses, my most defining professional/personal decisions and core beliefs.

I know I will discover more points moving forward but this is a good start.

Happy New Year all!

Straight talk on Politicians (and saying it because it is a bad thing)

2008-12-27T21:45:00.000-08:00

So that more people will read about this. I hope the message gets to them that this behavior, whether in Lanao, Cainta or anywhere else in the Philippines, is no longer acceptable.

Again - http://vicissitude-decidido.blogspot.com/2008/12/world-is-fucked-up.html

The Year in Review

2008-12-22T16:31:00.000-08:00

This would be a good way to wrap up one's year then think about the coming one. Got this from a High School & Facebook friend.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

4. Did anyone close to you die?

5. What countries did you visit?

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

9. What was your biggest failure?

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

11. What was the best thing you bought?

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

14. Where did most of your money go?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

17. Compared to this time last year, you are:

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?

22. What was your favorite TV program?

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

24. What was the best book you read?

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

26. What did you want and get?

27. What did you want and not get?

28. What was your favorite film that you saw this year?

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

32. What kept you sane?

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

35. Who did you miss?

36. Who was the best new person you met?

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Because inquiring minds want to know

2008-12-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

1 minute, 25 seconds

Created by Bunk Beds.net

Straight Talk on best diet for diabetics

2008-12-19T16:14:00.001-08:00

Again an article on diet and the importance of lentils.

I am tracking these studies because of a genetic predisposition for Type 2 diabetes. This has been blamed on a change in eating habits in developing countries with an growing affinity for quick service food and sweets/confectionery and the overall increase in caloric intake.

Now if we can only find a diet to mitigate the effects of a lentils on high levels of uric acid, yet another recessive trait to watch out for.

Recommended Diet for Diabetics May Need Changing, Study Suggests
By RONI CARYN RABIN

People with Type 2 diabetes on a high-fiber diet kept their blood sugar under better control when they ate foods like beans and nuts instead of the recommended whole-grain diet, researchers have found. (Emphasis mine)

Beans and nuts are among foods that only modestly increase blood glucose levels; scientists describe these foods as having a low glycemic index. The new study, which lasted six months, is one of the largest and longest to assess the impact of foods with a low-glycemic index, researchers said.

Participants on the low-glycemic diet also saw significant improvements in cholesterol after six months, with increases in HDL, the so-called “good” cholesterol associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, the study found.

“That’s an important issue today, because there’s a double whammy for people who are diabetic," said Dr. David J. A. Jenkins, lead author of the report and a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto. "If they’re men, they have twice the risk of heart disease, and if they’re women, they have four times the risk. If you can hit the heart disease to which they’re particularly vulnerable, you may have something useful."

“Pharmaceuticals used to control Type 2 diabetes have not shown the expected benefits in terms of reducing cardiovascular disease,” he added.

The study was published on Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Some 210 patients with Type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to a low-glycemic diet or a high-cereal, high-fiber diet.

The high-cereal high fiber diet emphasized “brown foods” such as whole-grain bread and breakfast cereal, brown rice and potatoes with the skin on. The low-glycemic diet included beans, peas, lentils, pasta, quickly boiled rice and certain breads, like pumpernickel and rye, as well as oatmeal and oat bran cereals.

Both diets are low in saturated fat and trans fat. Both groups were told to limit their consumption of white flour and to eat five servings of vegetables and three servings of fruit each day.

Participants on the low-glycemic diet saw their hemoglobin A1C levels — a measure of blood glucose levels over recent months — reduced slightly, by 0.5 percent on average, but experienced significant improvements in HDL, which increased by 1.7 milligrams per deciliter of blood on average. Those on the high-cereal diet saw smaller reductions in hemoglobin A1C and slight drops in HDL.

Dietitians who work with people who have Type 2 diabetes said earlier studies had not demonstrated the benefits of low-glycemic index foods as clearly as this report.

“We’ve been telling people to eat whole grains for a long time," said Emmy Suhl, a nutrition and diabetes educator at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston. "What this study shows is that it’s not enough to have whole grains. It’s these very specific low-glycemic carbohydrates that do a much better job."

But, she said, following such a diet is complicated, since the glycemic index of a food can change depending on how it is prepared and served.

“People tell us again and again that diet is the hardest part of diabetes management,” she added.

Shocking story on pet cruelty

2008-12-18T21:51:00.000-08:00

I simply have no words for this...

Pet lovers protest cats on the menu in China
By WILLIAM FOREMAN, Associated Press Writer William Foreman, Associated Press Writer

GUANGZHOU, China – While animal lovers in Beijing protested the killing of cats for food on Thursday, a butcher in Guangdong province — where felines are the main ingredient in a famous soup — just shrugged her shoulders and wielded her cleaver. "Cats have a strong flavor. Dogs taste much better, but if you really want cat meat, I can have it delivered by tomorrow," said the butcher, who gave only her surname, Huang.

It was just this attitude that outraged about 40 cat lovers who unfurled banners in a tearful protest outside the Guangdong government office in Beijing. Many were retirees who care for stray felines they said were being rounded up by dealers.

"We must make them correct this uncivilized behavior," said Wang Hongyao, who represented the group in submitting a letter urging the provincial government to crack down on traders and restaurants, although they were breaking no laws.

The protest was the latest clash between age-old traditions and the new sensibilities made possible by China's growing affluence. Pet ownership was once rare because the Communist Party condemned it as bourgeois and most people simply couldn't afford a cat or dog.

The protesters' indignation was whipped up by recent reports in Chinese newspapers about the cat meat industry. On Monday, the Southern Metropolis Daily — a Guangdong paper famous for its exposes and aggressive reporting — ran a story that said about 1,000 cats were transported by train to Guangdong each day.

The animals came from Nanjing, a major trading hub for cats, the newspaper said. They were brought to market by dealers on motorcycles, crammed into wooden crates and sent to Guangdong on trains. A photo showed a cat with green eyes peering from a crowded crate.

Some people in Nanjing spend their days "fishing for cats," often stealing pets, the report said.

One cat owner in Guanghzou said people are afraid to let their pets leave the house for fear they will get nabbed.

"It's never been this bad. Who knows, it might be because of the bad economy. I've heard that there are cat-nabbing syndicates from Hunan that are rounding up cats," said the man, who would only give his surname, Lai, because he feared the cat business might be run by gangsters.

Animal protection groups have occasionally ambushed truck convoys loaded with bamboo cages filled with cats bound for Guangdong. In one recent case, hundreds of cats escaped after their cages were opened, though hundreds more remained penned in the vehicle.

Lai Xiaoyu, who was involved in the attempted "rescue," said authorities couldn't stop the cat shipment because the traders said the animals were to be raised as pets.

"The police did what they could, but there's little they can do to stop or punish those traders from shipping live animals," Lai said.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, issued a statement Thursday decrying the cruel treatment.

"China has no animal protection laws, and throughout the country scores of cats and dogs are bred or rounded up, crammed onto trucks and driven for days under hellish conditions to animal markets, where they are beaten to death, strangled or boiled alive," said a spokesman for the group, Michael V. McGraw.

Guangdong is home to the Cantonese people, famous for being the most adventurous eaters in China. There's a popular saying: "The Cantonese will eat anything that flies, except airplanes, and anything with legs, except a chair."

Zhu Huilian, a nutrition and food safety professor at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangdong's capital, Guangzhou, said people usually eat cat in restaurants, not at home.

"There's a famous soup called 'Dragon, Tiger and Phoenix,'" Zhu said. "It involves cooking snake, cat and chicken together. In winter more people eat cats as they believe it's extra nutritious."

The wide-ranging Cantonese culinary tastes are on display daily in Guangzhou, also known as Canton, in the Qing Ping Market. Shopkeepers sit behind cages full of writhing snakes, tubs with turtles and plastic basins with mounds of scorpions crawling over each other.

That's where the butcher, Huang, sells her meat, sliced on a blood-soaked cutting board in a stall filled with cages of chickens and rabbits.

Hanging on a hook from its head — with its snout cut cleanly off — was a skinned dog with a long curly tail, paws with small clumps of fur still on them and black claws. The dog's jaw bone was displayed in a metal tray beneath the carcass.

"The cat meat we sell comes from legitimate sources," said Huang, who gave only her surname because her boss doesn't allow her to speak to reporters. "It's from cat farms. The animals are raised the same way cows are."

She said cat meat sold for about $1.32 a pound, while dog meat was cheaper, at about 95 cents a pound. Chicken was the best buy at 62 cents a pound, while lamb sold for about $1.32.

Huang said customers had to order cat meat a day in advance because it doesn't sell as well as dog.

"Cat tastes a bit like lamb. I don't like it much," she said. "Young cats are tender, but the meat on the older ones is really tough. Usually old people like eating it."

Straight Talk on handling less then ideal offers

2008-12-17T23:58:00.000-08:00

Excellent, albeit American-centric, take on the challenges facing many of us in this busted economy. This resonates with me as I am trying to make sense of opportunities and some are definitely well within "low-balling" range.

If you ever find yourself saying, "it's not all about the money, really", while fighting the urge to raise an eyebrow when presented with the offer sheet, then this article would be appropriate for you.

How to Handle the Job Offer You Can't Afford
By JOANN S. LUBLIN

Earlier this year, Mark Cummuta walked away from a chance to become the No. 2 executive of a Chicago technology consultancy -- for less than $100,000. As the sole breadwinner and father of triplets, Mr. Cummuta couldn't afford a nearly 20% cut in pay, compared with what he was earning as an independent management consultant.

He's still looking for a permanent position. "Every now and then, I hit myself and say, 'I should have taken that offer,'" concedes the consultant, who has helped several firms navigate difficult times since 2003.

Unfortunately, Mr. Cummuta is hardly unique. More battered businesses are giving new hires less money than they made in their last job. "I am seeing that a lot more," says April M. Williams, a career coach in Algonquin, Ill. Puny amounts flabbergast some of her clients.

"As the downturn deepens, an increasing number of job seekers will find themselves getting lower-paying offers," says Mark Royal, a senior consultant at Hay Group. "We are on the cusp of a trend."

But excess eagerness to toil for fewer bucks sends the wrong signal. Such applicants often "are really desperate," says Niki Leondakis, chief operating officer at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, a boutique chain in San Francisco.

Rather than immediately reject or accept a lowball deal, you should mount a careful counterattack, experts recommend. You could improve your chances of winning a satisfactory compromise, with tradeoffs ranging from a faster pay review to extra perquisites.

Arm yourself with data about the going rate for your position by trolling Web sites such as www.Salary.com, indeed.com/salary, salaryexpert.com and Glassdoor.com. You'll see whether a concern "has poor information about the external market" and rewards staffers below prevailing levels, says Robin Pinkley, a professor at Southern Methodist University's business school and author of books about pay negotiations.

Just Say No?

Reasons why you might want to reject a lower-paying job:

* You couldn't afford your rent
* You old pay far exceeds prevailing rate for the new position
* Your repeated efforts to negotiate alternative rewards fail
* Boss-to-be won't let you make more money than him
* The offer reflects a workplace that's a poor fit for you
* A better offer looms elsewhere

Source: WSJ reporting

As part of your homework, you must grasp a potential employer's problems so you can promote yourself as a problem solver worth more than the proposed skimpy pay. "To negotiate in tough times, you have to be able to create a vision," says Jim Camp, an author and president of Camp Group, a negotiation-consulting firm in Dublin, Ohio.

A big New York law firm recently agreed to hire an Ohio lawyer for $140 an hour, $40 an hour less than he was earning. The firm blamed tough times. But the attorney knew he could provide important client referrals, recalls Mr. Camp, who coached him. "What number would I be paid if I brought a million-dollar client?" the candidate asked firm officials.

"If you're a rainmaker, the numbers change," they replied, according to Mr. Camp. After further interviews, the firm raised his starting pay to $240 an hour. He began last summer.

A West Coast executive took this tactic a step further. Keen to enter senior management several years ago, she hoped to accept a vice presidency at a midsize manufacturer -- and keep making over $300,000 a year. But the concern offered less than $200,000, the same cash compensation it gave other VPs.

The woman prepared a Power Point presentation for the chief executive, highlighting accomplishments he didn't know about and describing ways she might bolster customer satisfaction. She says she also sold him on a quarterly bonus plan for herself, linked to measurable milestones needed for the manufacturer's long-term growth.

The CEO enlarged her package by nearly $25,000. And she racked up bonuses fast enough that she was paid nearly $300,000 within a year. "It was a win-win for the company," she notes.

Some job hunters weighing lower offers bargain for alternative rewards, such as flexible hours, extra vacation, special training or a gym membership. Not everyone can long survive on a shrunken paycheck, however.

PeaceKeeper Cause-Metrics, a small cosmetics distributor, offered Stephanie S. Hayano a $50,000 salary to be its chief operating officer starting last January. She previously earned $300,000 a year running Natural Health Trends Corp. The puny pay wouldn't have even covered mortgages for her three residences. "Unless I was prepared to totally change my lifestyle, $50,000 was not in the cards," Ms. Hayano says.

She assumed the COO title at the New York firm, but gets compensated as a part-time consultant and retains other consulting gigs.

It's a good idea to assess the long-term career impact of toiling for less. Younger individuals, for instance, might get a valuable opportunity to build their résumés.

That proved true for Sanjay Gupta. In 1994, the 26-year-old senior marketing analyst accepted 10% lower pay when he transferred to a database marketing job at his employer, FedEx Corp. He and his wife were forced to dine out less often. However, Mr. Gupta says that he gained experience "with every facet of marketing," a critical skill for becoming a chief marketing officer of a big business some day. He achieved that title last March, when GMAC Financial Services named him CMO.

On The Day Stood Still movie

2008-12-16T22:51:00.000-08:00

The movie is a remake of a 1951 cult favorite and varied little from the basic premise: a galaxy-wide confederation of societies have decided that humanity must die to save the earth. Even the android resembles the original rendition except that the latest one is several stories high. Having established all that, I now want to discuss my issues with the movie.

The movie is so formulaic – the conflict is quickly resolved when the doe-eyed and pretty (and impossibly learned) heroine begs the aliens at the last minute to save the earth and he, no big surprise here, relents - moved as he is by her compassion and selflessness. There is no room for the normal cycle of denial-anger-remorse-acceptance – the heroine buys into the situation and the alien story from the get-go. It helps of course that the alien took on the form of Keanu Reeves. Imagine then if he looked like an Aeta – they would’ve eviscerated him as soon as he emerged from the sloughed-off skin suit.

The plot is also incredulously thin. Within the span of twenty-four hours, humanity goes from condemned to redeemed, albeit in a Luddite-ian state. Pretty please has changed the mind of the ambassador of alien societies, all of whom have been convinced by seventy years of observation using “plains-clothes” agents, that we are irreversibly damaged and therefore, ripe for annihilation. If only real-world negotiations and diplomacy were as straight-forward as in the movie – Afghanistan would be at peace before the hukka burns out and the Korean Peninsula would be united, disarmed and transformed into the third largest movie-producing society after the U.S. and India in a fortnight. Really now?

And what about the parallel story of the mother and step-son? Is the post-election fever supposed to drive ticket sales up at the prospect of mainstreaming cross-racial relations? Will Smith's boy acts and projects well but this storyline is an unwelcome distraction.

Gort, for me, is the sole mitigating item of the movie. A 60-storey robot that dissolves into metallic nano-insects - how truly cool is that?! And that moving eye - what Kitt would have switched into if he was a Transformer - but in mercury-silver. Awesome!

Straight talk on stupidity hiding behind calls for tolerance

2008-12-16T17:45:00.000-08:00

I just had to react to this Yahoo! front-pager. The parents of this four year old asked their local bakeshop to decorate the boy's birthday cake with his name which happens to be Adolph Hitler. Their other children are as colorfully named: one carries Aryan Nation as a middle name. I mean, really?

The father is reportedly puzzled by the storm of controversy this has generated and is pleading for tolerance. Tolerance is never an excuse to make light of one of the most horrific examples of modern humanity's depravity and brutality. The then duly-elected government, abetted by the "tolerance" and acceptance of the general populace, systematically brutalized then murdered whole societies, families, generations of not just Jews but Roma, gays, minorities and even Germans not deemed perfect enough for the Aryan race. This was a monumental crime against humanity which even today is marred by the senseless recidivism by various national front/white supremacist groups and some Middle Eastern states.

Genocide and its perpetrators - and not just limited to the Holocaust but must include the forgotten mass murders of Armenians, the Baltic people, Kurds, Manchukuo Chinese, colonial Koreans, Tutsis, southern Sudanese, Cambodians, and Tibetans - should never to be trivialized and passed off as just a name.

What I have to be thankful for in 2008

2008-12-15T22:16:00.000-08:00

I have many things to be thankful for towards the close of 2008. First would be the fact that I am close to putting this bad year behind me. Then the fact that no one in my immediate family needed hospital confinement during the year. And lastly, that I am getting a better feel for blogging.

My Chinese horoscope did warn me of several challenges within the year: from legal troubles, to financial difficulties, to career/work issues. And, the year did not disappoint unfortunately. I found out that I have pending tax payables from a failed business from two years ago (unresolved to date). I may have maxed out my credit cards after misjudging my cash-on-hand after making several ill-advised purchases in the third quarter. And my relationship with my manager has deteriorated of late. While the new year does not promise a quick nor clear resolution for any and all, I am thankful for the long Christmas-New Year holiday that will allow me to breathe, regroup and plan for the coming months. It does help that my Chinese horoscope tells of a better year for Earth Monkeys.

Despite the frequent close calls (many of which are self-inflicted), my father was not confined to the hospital for any of his numerous ailments. His blood sugar, creatinine, triglycerides and blood pressure have been stable for the longest time - thanks to good doctors and serious policing at home. And my mom's hypertension is likewise well managed.

I have taken to writing more this year just so I can make sense of the passing year. Somehow committing my thoughts into paper and bytes have allowed me to digest, process and order my reactions and responses to the daily challenges. By committing to blogging, I have even managed to order my postings/sites along business, personal, sports and "collectibles" lines.

So why Moleskines? I have seen and handled one in Bestsellers in Galleria and the mere feel of it inspires me to write. And the crispiness of the paper reminds me of freshly laundered sheets, something to ensure that my thoughts are put to bed everyday.

Straight talk on web security

2008-12-15T09:03:00.001-08:00

Despite the years I have spent online, I am still a rank amateur as far as personal security is concerned. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to list a few key points to ensure one's online safety and privacy.

First, de-list birthdays from public profiles like on Friendster, Facebook , and the like. Remember, credit card companies and other financial institutions use birthdays for the validation of identity. In addition, we frequently use our birthdays or a combination of the digits as our PIN numbers.

Secondly, manage the privacy settings for personal information. Details like phone & mobile numbers and physical/mailing addresses should never be listed or, if socially relevant, limited only to close friends and family or others for whom the information would be relevant to. Same goes for the names of the individual members of one's immediate family and even pets.

Always review the privacy settings of the social networking sites you use; if in doubt, block all access to personal information. It would be important to note that the combination of the contact information with the tags on family pictures will provide outsiders not only with unnecessarily intimate information on your family and home but also the means to use the same.

As mentioned in the immediately preceding paragraph, manage access to pictures. No sense allowing the worldwide web know how your house, your family members, and/or your possessions look like, at least, without your expressed permission.

On joining the Nuffnang community

2008-12-14T16:46:00.000-08:00

I just signed up on Nuffnang, a large Austra-Asian blog community, that will allow for better coverage of my postings. I came across the site through a Facebook friend, Janette Toral, through her blog. What intrigued me was the possibility of generating more hits to one's lowly blog through an ad aggregator (and yes, the possibility of money won't hurt either, eh?).

In addition, Nuffnang is running a promo for blogger members to get cash and a chance at winning a netbook just by joining. So here goes:

"I want to win the Dell™ Inspiron™ Mini 9 so I can blog anywhere, anytime surreptitiously even during my coffee & lunch breaks and meetings because I can fit this netbook inside a large folder or on my lap. Another advantage of its small size is that I can use the "free" bandwidth of coffee shops and restaurants without having to pay or buy anything without attracting the proprietor's notice."

Now just to find three blogger friends on Nuffnang...

Straight Talk on Reducing Belly Fat and Improving Body Readings

2008-12-08T18:55:00.000-08:00

Because I am now totally focused on running as my exercise, I have to supplement training with a more restrictive diet. The article below would be the first of several I would be referring to moving forward.

I have been a firm believer in a diet with nuts, which in my case, would not be too difficult to have. The only "roadblock", so to speak, is the relative cost of walnuts, almonds and most especially hazelnuts in the country: a small pack of almonds (around 200-250 gms) is around P80 at SM, around the same price as a full meal deal at a fastfood restaurant.

From: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081208/ap_on_he_me/med_nuts_diet

Scientists find nutty risk reducer: Eat more nuts
By CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO – Here's a health tip in a nutshell: Eating a handful of nuts a day for a year — along with a Mediterranean diet rich in fruit, vegetables and fish — may help undo a collection of risk factors for heart disease.

Spanish researchers found that adding nuts worked better than boosting the olive oil in a typical Mediterranean diet. Both regimens cut the heart risks known as metabolic syndrome in more people than a low-fat diet did.

"What's most surprising is they found substantial metabolic benefits in the absence of calorie reduction or weight loss," said Dr. JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital.

In the study, appearing Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the people who improved most were told to eat about three whole walnuts, seven or eight whole hazelnuts and seven or eight whole almonds. They didn't lose weight, on average, but more of them succeeded in reducing belly fat and improving their cholesterol and blood pressure.

Manson, who wasn't involved in the study, cautioned that adding nuts to a Western diet — one packed with too many calories and junk food — could lead to weight gain and more health risks. "But using nuts to replace a snack of chips or crackers is a very favorable change to make in your diet," Manson said.

The American Heart Association says 50 million Americans have metabolic syndrome, a combination of health risks, such as high blood pressure and abdominal obesity. Finding a way to reverse it with a diet people find easy and satisfying would mean huge health improvements for many Americans, Manson said.

Nuts help people feel full while also increasing the body's ability to burn fat, said lead author Dr. Jordi Salas-Salvado of the University of Rovira i Virgili in Reus, Spain.

"Nuts could have an effect on metabolic syndrome by multiple mechanisms," Salas-Salvado said in an e-mail. Nuts are rich in anti-inflammatory substances, such as fiber, and antioxidants, such as vitamin E. They are high in unsaturated fat, a healthier fat known to lower blood triglycerides and increase good cholesterol.

More than 1,200 Spaniards, ranging in age from 55 to 80, were randomly assigned to follow one of three diets. They were followed for a year. The participants had no prior history of heart disease, but some had risk factors including Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and abdominal obesity.

At the start, 751 people had metabolic syndrome, about 61 percent, distributed evenly among the three groups.

Metabolic syndrome was defined as having three or more of the following conditions: abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low levels of good cholesterol (HDL), high blood sugar and high blood pressure.

The low-fat group was given basic advice about reducing all fat in their diets. Another group ate a Mediterranean diet with extra nuts. The third group ate a Mediterranean diet and was told to make sure they ate more than four tablespoons of olive oil a day.

Dietitians advised the two groups on the Mediterranean diet to use olive oil for cooking; increase fruit, vegetable and fish consumption; eat white meat instead of beef or processed meat; and prepare homemade tomato sauce with garlic, onions and herbs. Drinkers were told to stick with red wine.

After one year, all three groups had fewer people with metabolic syndrome, but the group eating nuts led the improvement, now with 52 percent having those heart risk factors. In the olive oil group, 57 percent had the syndrome. In the low-fat group, there was very little difference after a year in the percentage of people with the syndrome.

The nut-rich diet didn't do much to improve high blood sugar, but the large number of people with Type 2 diabetes — about 46 percent of participants — could be the reason, Salas-Salvado said. It's difficult to get diabetics' blood sugar down with lifestyle changes alone, he said.

To verify that study volunteers ate their nuts, researchers gave some of them a blood test for alpha-linolenic acid found in walnuts.

The study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Health and the government of Valencia, Spain.

Salas-Salvado and another co-author disclosed in the publication that they are unpaid advisers to nut industry groups. Salas-Salvado said all of their research "has been conducted under standard ethical and scientific rules" and that peer-review journal editors determined the study results were not influenced by food industry ties.

New web-based business

2008-12-06T04:24:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine introduced me to a new web-based business in the country. Photovendo takes photos of participants of major events like races which they then sell online. This is the "web-ification" of the unsolicited photo service we are always offered during weddings in Manila (which I swear must have hundreds of shots of me over the years).

The web interface is very simple: one just chooses the event that one participated in. The site asks for certain identifiers like a race number then the serves up thumbnail/-s of the picture/-s, with the requisite watermark, of course. The site then asks for a choice of payment: Paypal for VISA, MasterCard, AmEx, or Discover cards or BDO for local deposits. A fax of the deposit slip completes the settlement cycle. The service then delivers as many 4x6 copies of the ordered pictures to the listed address on Monday-Wednesday-Friday but only within selected Metro Manila areas including Pasig, Manila, Makati, Quezon City, Taguig, Mandaluyong, San Juan and on Sundays at a pick-up station at selected races.

On its face, the business is genius, the type that one wishes he thought of first. Then again, the settlement cycle bothers me in that it breaks from what should have been a seamless set-up where ordering was blended with the local non-credit payment option.

Straight Talk on Avoiding Colds

2008-12-01T05:44:00.000-08:00

This article is of interest to me because I am recovering from the colds.

5 Ways to Protect Yours Kids from the Flu

The season is changing and we have finally arrived at that bittersweet time of Daylight Savings. I always feel like this simple one-hour time change throws me into a pretty significant physiological shift. For me, it also marks the beginning of the flu and cold season.

Ever wonder why the winter months are when we get sick the most? While many experts have their myriad reasons, the culprit is not as simple as "it's cold outside."

There are few steps that you can take to protect yourself and your family from what seems to be the inevitable flu. The guardian of the health of our body is the immune system. While intangible and challenging to identify, the immune system has very specific signs and symptoms.

For a moment, put aside the traditional considerations for assessing your child’s health. Instead, I’d like you to consider some new approaches and angles that will provide you with insight into the likelihood that your child will stay healthy or get sick this winter season.

1. Sugar and processed foods impact the immune system.

Studies have shown that through a complex system of chemical processes sugar and processed foods depress the immune system. There exists a direct link between the amount of these foods that your child consumes and his/her health.

Obvious foods such as sodas, candy, cookies, ice cream, and potato chips are the big guns that should be kept concealed.

Even more disturbing are the foods that you think are healthy for your child that hide sugar and many refined ingredients: yogurt, and yogurt drinks and “pops;”most cereals; juices; fruit roll ups and “leathers;” “healthy” cookies and treats, soy ice cream and frozen treats. While being marketed as healthy choices, these foods aren’t much better than the obvious poor choices. Work hard during flu season to keep these foods away from your children. Read ingredient labels and watch out for: corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup or “HFCS,” brown rice syrup, fructose, sucrose, barleymalt and the obvious, sugar.

2. Fresh foods offer the highest quality vitamins.

It’s shocking to me how often I see people turn to orange juice for vitamin C in an effort to fight off a cold or flu.

It is important to understand that the majority of vitamin C in orange juice is added after processing. Vitamin C and others like zinc, vitamin E, and magnesium help to support the immune system and are a great defense during flu season.

Choose better by having kids eat fresh whole foods such as cherries, berries, and apples, and vegetables such as spinach, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, carrots and sweet potatoes.

I know you probably hear this suggestion all the time, but it can’t be stressed enough. It is imperative to find creative ways to prepare vegetables so that kids will actually eat them. Sautee, roast or grill vegetables with olive oil or real butter, add some fresh sea salt or sprinkle with organic low fat cheese and kids will be more likely to eat.

3. Sleep will boost the immune system.

At night while we rest, the body is working to rebuild the immune system. Deep sleep allows a complex set of hormonal changes that recharge the body so that it’s resilient the next day. Be diligent and ensure that kids get a full night sleep of 8-10 hours.

Mandate bedtime despite protests and stick to a regular schedule. These are the times that mom and dad really need to be the boss. Resist the temptation to allow your child to stay up late and watch his or her favorite show. At the end of the day when you are tired as well, it’s easy to give in to your child’s vigilant campaign.

Remember: Would you rather avoid the confrontation tonight? Or deal with a sick kid tomorrow?

4. Fatigue is the first sign of a distressed immune system.

As already stated, the immune system desperately needs sleep to keep the body healthy. When the immune system is fighting to keep your child healthy, it requests that the body get extra rest to help in the fight.

If your child seems more fatigued than usual, it could be a very strong signal that your child is on the brink of getting sick.

The best way to fight off a cold or flu is to act immediately and get extra rest. Pay attention to the health of others around you such as those at work or your child’s school. If you hear of a bug “going around” and you notice that your child is tired, there’s a good chance that extra sleep will ward off the cold or flu. This is the time to allow extra television and require a mid-day nap.

5. Wash hands frequently, but avoid antibacterial products.

This seems counterintuitive, but the best way to kill environmental germs is to use soap and hot water and scrub hands thoroughly. Bacteria live all around us. They are on every surface we touch and in every breath we take. Without bacteria, our immune system wouldn’t learn to be strong.

Our internal bacterial system fights off invaders and thereby gets more effective at winning the battle. It’s just like working out: In order to become stronger, you must work hard in the gym. Your child’s body is a bacterial gym. Again, this comes back to the immune system. If you foster a strong immune system, your child’s body will fight off invaders and therefore become more resilient to future battles. While it is imperative to wash hands frequently during flu season, remember that the hands are only one very small way that germs enter your child’s system. Killing off the germs on hands with antibacterial products is futile and weakens your child’s- and the world’s- future ability to confront germs.

- Holly Perkins, Intent.com

Straight Talk on Responsibilities

2008-12-01T05:20:00.001-08:00

As I have been wont to do in a brother blog (i-swipemo.blogspot.com), I frequently take relevant material from the New York Times and post it with my commentary as cover. And the matter discussed below is no different.

It has taken me several years to put off the resentment for the increasing "dependency" (if I may call it that) of my parents. I thought at first it was because I was just selfish, refusing to carry my own load of work around the house, but lately, I have have begun to realize that I resent the responsibility because it was an acceptance that my parents not as young as I want them to remain to be. We have long passed the point where they were the primary care-givers - I should have been more perceptive, especially after my dad's mild stroke, his insulin dependency, and his then frequent visits to the hospital for mild pneumonia. My mom isn't as sprightly as I have always imagined her to be: frequent drives now tire her easily and she is now more prone to colds and cough. Funny, we have always fought for the right to be treated as an adult by our parents but when the tables are turned, it becomes just as big a struggle to assume the mantle.

Now I understand why a friend in Culver was reading up on caring for geriatric parents even when he was still in high school. I hope to learn as much in time to meet my parents' needs.

More Men Take the Lead Role in Caring for Elderly Parents
By JOHN LELAND

When Peter Nicholson’s mother suffered a series of strokes last winter, he did something women have done for generations: he quit his job and moved into her West Hollywood home to care for her full time.

Since then, he has lost 45 pounds and developed anemia, in part because of the stress, and he is running out of money. But the hardest adjustment, Mr. Nicholson said, has been the emotional toll.

“The single toughest moment was when she said to me, ‘And now who are you?’ ” he said. “My whole world just dropped. That was the pinnacle of despair.”

Mr. Nicholson, 53, is part of a growing number of men who are providing primary care for their aging parents, usually their mothers.

The Alzheimer’s Association and the National Alliance for Caregiving estimate that men make up nearly 40 percent of family care providers now, up from 19 percent in a 1996 study by the Alzheimer’s Association. About 17 million men are caring for an adult.

“It used to be that when men said, ‘I’ll always take care of my mother,’ it meant, ‘My wife will always take care of my mother,’ ” said Carol Levine, director of the families and health care project at the United Hospital Fund. “But now, more and more men are doing it.”

Often they are overshadowed by their female counterparts and faced with employers, friends, support organizations and sometimes even parents who view caregiving as an essentially female role. Male caregivers are more likely to say they feel unprepared for the role and become socially isolated, and less likely to ask for help.

Women still provide the bulk of family care, especially intimate tasks like bathing and dressing. At support groups, which are predominantly made up of women, many women complain that their brothers are treated like heroes just for showing up.

But with smaller families and more women working full-time, many men have no choice but to take on roles that would have been alien to their fathers. Just as fatherhood became more hands-on in the baby boom generation, so has the role for many sons as their generation’s parents age.

Mr. Nicholson said his family had not discussed who would take care of his mother, Bernice, if she became frail. But as the unmarried child among his two siblings, and the one who was most readily available, he had spent increasing time with her as she aged.

Still, he was not prepared for the isolation of full-time care. “There’s absolutely no involvement in the outside world,” Mr. Nicholson said. “When I finally get out to a Dodgers game, walking to the car, I say, Oh, this is what life is about. I forgot about this. I can’t be doing myself any good by not getting out of here.”

Isolation affects women as well, but men tend to have fewer lifelines, said Donna Benton, an assistant research professor of gerontology at the University of Southern California and director of the Los Angeles Caregiver Resource Network. Men are less likely to have friends going through similar experiences, and depend more on their jobs for daily human contact.

“That’s the harder part for men, to find someone to talk to,” Dr. Benton said. “It’s the emotional side: the guilt, the sadness, the anger. For men it becomes more stressful because they can’t talk about it. They feel cut off.”

And then there is the inevitable question: What happens when I have to bathe her?

“That’s where the rubber meets the road,” said Donna Wagner, the director of gerontology at Towson University and one of the few researchers who has studied sons as caregivers.

For Mr. Nicholson, the whole experience has been a journey into the surreal, but especially at bath time.

Though he is not squeamish about it, he said: “The weirdness permeates our relationship. She doesn’t know if I’m her husband or her boyfriend or her neighbor. She knows she trusts me. But there are times when it’s very difficult. I need to keep her from embarrassing herself. She’ll say things like, ‘I adore you.’ I don’t know who she’s loving, because she doesn’t know who I am. Maybe I’m embarrassed about it — it’s my mom, for Christ sakes. But it’s weird how the oldest son becomes the spouse.”

Matt Kassin, 51, said he had no role model for male caregiver in his family. His father had been distant; he, in turn, had been the rebellious son.

“I was the son who went through divorce, who needed to separate from my mom when I was teenager,” Mr. Kassin said. “I’m the son that wanted distance. Now I’m the son who hears every morning, ‘It’s so nice to hear your voice.’ ”

On a recent evening, Mr. Kassin visited his mother, Doris Golden, in her Manhattan apartment. Ms. Golden, 82, is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s and still lives independently, but relies on Mr. Kassin to arrange her schedule, pay her bills and make sure she remembers her daily tasks (his sister also helps).

His care has surprised his mother. “When he was young, I couldn’t get him to raise a finger,” Ms. Golden said. Her conversation looped repeatedly back to this point, and with each return, Mr. Kassin grew more irritated. That was when he was a teenager, he said, sharply; hadn’t he been more attentive since?

Finally she looked at him tenderly and asked, “When did I start relying on you?”

Interviewed apart from his mother, Mr. Kassin said: “It’s kind of like living my nightmare situation. But it’s a great opportunity here. Here’s the woman who nurtured me. She now is the child. You worry if you’re up for the challenge. If I don’t make this challenge, what kind of human being am I?”

In past generations, men might have answered this question by pointing to their accomplishments as breadwinners or fathers. Now, some men say they worry about the conflict between caring for their parents and these other roles.

In a 2003 study at three Fortune 500 companies, Dr. Wagner found that men were less likely to use employee-assistance programs for caregivers because they feared it would be held against them.

“Even though the company has endorsed the program, your supervisors may have a different opinion,” Dr. Wagner said. “I had a man who worked for a large company with very generous benefits, and he was told that if he took more time to go with his dad to chemotherapy, he was at risk of losing his job. He ended up not going with his father.”

Mr. Kassin said that although his employer had been understanding, he was reluctant to talk about his caregiving because “I think it would be looked at like, when they hire a male, they expect him to be 100-percent focused.”

“I don’t want to appear to be someone who has distractions that detract from performance,” he said.

For many men, the new role means giving up their self-image as experts, said Louis Colbert, director of the office of services for the aging in Delaware County, Pa., who has shared care of his 84-year-old mother with his siblings since her Alzheimer’s made it necessary.

“I’ve been a professional for 32 years,” Mr. Colbert said, “but yet I remember the first time I was driving to my mother’s house, being afraid because I didn’t know if I knew what to do.”

Once a year, Mr. Colbert organizes a get-together for male caregivers. The concerns they raise, he said, are different from those of women in support groups. “Very clearly, they said they wanted their role as caregiver validated, because in our society, as a whole, men as caregivers have been invisible,” he said.

This invisibility can extend to hospitals and nursing homes, said Amy Torres, helpline director at Fria, a national nonprofit organization based in New York that represents family members and residents in long-term care facilities.

“Nursing homes have a very difficult time dealing with male caregivers,” Ms. Torres said. “It’s unusual for them. The male caregiver is made to feel their interest in their relative is inappropriate. Our male callers say they’re made to feel what they’re doing is unusual, that it’s wrong.”

She gave the example of a son who was the health care agent for his mother and wanted to be in the room when the staff changed her diaper because he was concerned about her skin condition. “The staff refused to allow it,” Ms. Torres said. “They said the mother’s dignity was at risk.”

After two weeks of pressing, she said, he finally got his way. With a daughter, this would not have been an issue, Ms. Torres said.

And even when they are acknowledged, for many male caregivers, as for women, there is the lingering sense that whatever they do is not enough.

Mr. Nicholson said he knew this feeling too well. As a teacher, he could measure his contribution by the students’ progress. But with his mother, he can only watch her decline.

“I’m always asking myself, Am I even qualified for this?” he said. “Just because I love her a lot doesn’t mean that I have any idea if I’m doing the right thing, or doing what’s best for her.”

He sounded exhausted, rattled even.

“I don’t know if this is just the musings of someone who’s on the verge of tossing everything and putting her in a home,” he said. “But this is a very revealing journey about who I am to me and my family, and what’s important to me.”

Future hope

2008-12-01T02:52:00.000-08:00

Even though I couldn't vote in the U.S. elections, I was rooting actively for Obama. It was a source of some debate between my sister and I, she of the firm right while I was more left of center.

I was attracted by the promise of change especially change for a more accommodating social agenda in contrast to the discriminatory "Christian" platform of the past eight years. The world is weary of the America leading from the bully pulpit, a position that has only hardened the resolve of enemies and isolated friends.

But I am rooting for Obama more for his promised economic agenda. Any improvement in the American economy would have an immediate impact on the Philippine economy, notably in our electronics export sector, among our top five employers.

I hope my faith will be rewarded.

Bucket list item 1

2008-12-01T02:31:00.000-08:00

Bucket list - a personal listing of activities or achievements one wants done before dying (aka kicking the bucket).

I intend to run my first full marathon in 2009. This means running for a full 42 kilometers in one race. Completely. And live to tell about it.

I plan to run more in the next few months: UNICEF 10k 2 weeks ago then the Runnex UP 10k this coming Sunday; I heard of a 5k on Saturday also. The runs will allow me to build endurance gradually - it's a longer process the older you get.

I will be using the blog as my race diary from now on. I ran the UNICEF 10k at 1:06:10.

Being a "Yes" man

2008-12-01T02:00:00.000-08:00

I was intrigued by a book title that I happen upon during my last visit to National Bookstore. The title went something like say yes more often and become more successful. Apparently, the book has been adapted into a movie starring Jim Carrey.

Even if I haven't read the book (or at least the jacket summary), the message was intriguing. I can think of the many times in the past that I have regretted refusing an opportunity to try something new due to stubbornness, shyness, or plain laziness. I mean my best friend in high school was the co-captain of the baseball and hockey teams and I never learned to play either sport - couldn't even skate to save my life. I refused to ask a foreign boss for reconsideration for an office-paid MBA scholarship. Etc, etc, etc. A litany of regret.

I will read that book then see how I can put it into practice then I will write about it here.

Reminiscing

2008-12-01T01:28:00.000-08:00

I just added an old high school friend to Facebook and he e-mailed me asking if I needed any plastic models assembled. I then remember contracting him to build me my Hasegawa 1/72 scale F-15C with a non-standard cookie cutter air superiority grey camo scheme. I still have that model stored somewhere at home and even more boxes of unassembled kits.

I still promise myself the time to finish them all. At least I no longer buy...as many.

Industrial design

2008-11-30T23:58:00.001-08:00

I happened upon two excellent websites featuring reader-tagged web pictures. Much as Google or Yahoo allows for word searches, these sites allow for searches of visual material. Many of the tagged photos were commercially designed material for greeting cards, graphic books, product labels and the like. The pages are excellent resources for marketers, art students and those of us who are frustrated artists with some semblance of aesthetics. I will be using many of those images throughout my blogs and presentations from now on.

The first site is http://www.vi.sualize.us/ Registered members need only tag pictures as they troll the web and they are saved on the site. Members may also tag favorites on the site. Commercially available images are linked to the creator's site for ease of purchase.

The other site is http://www.ffffound.com (yes, that's four f's in a row). The Japanese site is grittier than the former, with more comics/manga graphics, old posters, and East European images.

This is an example, I think, of the wisdom of crowds, where it is posited that the collective decision of the general populace will be the most optimal. The aggregation of global tastes and aesthetic sensibilities works very well.

On birds

2008-06-14T02:18:00.000-07:00

In as much as I have this inclination towards travel and flight most especially, I find my recent run-ins with avians most interesting. I am referring to birds and flying mammals; the use of the word “avian” was just so I can have a post with this word in it – lingual vanity really.

But I digress. It started with the flock of small birds flying around the middle of Zamboanga City at dusk. Not that I haven’t seen birds in flight, mind you, but the sheer number and the audacity by which they zoom around the old buildings in downtown Zambo really brought them to my attention. It was my Hitchcock-ian moment to imagine them swooping down to pluck out eyes or ears or at the very least, lift a head scarf insouciantly. I couldn’t quite identify the small birds but they resembled small swifts with their forked tails. Nobody has given me a reasonable explanation for their behavior for many have not even noticed. A pity.

The next encounter was with an injured kingfisher near my hotel room in Boracay. I noticed the poor bird hopping weakly on the ground floor of the Boracay Courtyard last July. It was hard to miss and even harder to ignore. Here was this medium-sized bird with flashes of iridescent green plumage rarely observed in the country struggling to fly at my hotel door. So I did the most logical me-thing to do: pick it up. The bird was futilely pecking at my hand but I guess the bloody wound just under its right wing was just too painful. I squeezed it into a wine carton to keep it calm and relatively immobile. I debated with my friends on what to do since bringing it back to Manila would have been impractical and possibly illegal. I went from hotel concierge to hotel concierge asking for the nearest DENR office but nobody seemed to know. Finally, I saw a vet’s office that was closed but still had a light on. The good doctor took the bird in and refused my offer for monetary assistance. God bless him.

The last time was a weekend ago when I noticed a small bat clinging to the sidewalk just outside the house. It was safe to assume that the bat was dehydrated given the humidity so I pulled the towel off from my back then wrapped it up. It quickly latched on so I moved it indoors, hoping for it to survive at least the night. I left to attend to other appointments and got back home late. By then, my sister reported, that the bat not only recovered but was flying around. She wasn't too thrilled, of course and neither was my mom, but I was so excited to have rescued my little bat. We pretty much left it to its own devices overnight.

We didn't see it for the better part of the day but as soon as I got back home around midnight, my sister called me upstairs to deal with the bat. It's second night was just as exciting as the first but the little one had now settled in full view. It was on the towel covering the bean bag. I took another face towel and covered it. It was bleating (if i can call it that) then retreated further into the depths of the large towel. I then took it to the balcony where, I hoped, it would fly. I checked on it several times during the night but it was still there. I moved the towel to a less drafty position so the bat wouldn't get the chills then hoped for the best. Unfortunately, the best was not to be had. It was a cold little corpse in the morning.

I am still despondent over the loss but wouldn't have known to care for it anyway. I now plan to build a shelter against the side of the balcony using plans I managed to get from the internet. Then study up on bat care so that my next furry flying friend will find a home in mine.

Ethiopia - a new Middle East

2008-04-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

I must confess that I know little about Ethiopia except to say that the country has fairly recently emerged from a devastating famine (remember the drive of artists against famine in the 80s?) and a civil war (which saw the secession of Eritrea, formerly Italian Somaliland) to an economic renaissance of sorts. The reason I mentioned it is because two people my family know have received offers to work in the travel/hospitality industry in the country. One was for a catering company and the other as the country manager for a major airline. The former opted out, largely due to family pressure not to accept, while the latter will be flying out two weeks from now.

With many in the creative industries are looking to work in Indochina and those in telco in Latin America, is the Horn of Africa the IT destination for those in the hotel/resto and airline fields?

It makes me now think...?!

On maturing

2008-04-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

I realized recently, and at a considerable shock, that I have emotionally matured - at least as far as the office is concerned. Suffice it to say that a recent blow-out which would have seen me at my raging best five (short) years ago has me more thoughtful, straining as it were to seek understanding. I have even, shudder, sought to see the situation from the other party's perspective.

The experience has been both exhilarating and disquieting: exhilarating given the novelty of the feeling but disquieting in it's newness. Or have I just reached a point of professional inertia?

A dry April

2008-04-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

I knew that having a blog meant an obligation to write regularly. But I have written so many in my head these past months but hesitated to encode them in the hopes of coming up with THE post. I am finally drawn to write today just because I would hate to end the month on a dry note.

So here's my one of my thought threads: I watched a news segment last February on Chinese New Year where Manila's mayor staged a dragon dance and parade through Chinatown in the hopes of, as he said, firming up the alliance between Filipinos and Chinese. Made me think: since when have we been operating as a dual state? Isn't the mayor a prime example of a racial assimilation? Hasn't centuries of trade, communication and inter-marriage mixed the races enough to render distinctions moot? And should an elected official publicly support racial distinctions at all?

Of course, there are many among us sporting foreign passports - either because we have opted for foreign citizenship or because our grandparents or parents have settled among relations and given birth here - but fully identify as a Filipino. In this case, then yes I agree, they are foreigners and should be subject to the laws of the country as it applies to aliens. So was the good mayor referring to these visitors? Then, why should aliens enjoy special rights over and beyond what the law stipulates?

Just my ten renminbi

Family excursion

2008-01-12T18:39:00.000-08:00

As I had predicted, we started the day quite late. I mean packing alone took an hour. We must've packed enough stuff for a two-day outing including four pillows!

And then there was the rain. We have had such a relatively dry December that the rains were actually welcome but not at the intensity and volume of that day. It poured unceasisingly throughout the trip.

Funny but one of the best parts of the trip was the sleep. It's good that we have all been trained to sleep whenever we get into a comfortable position wherever we are. I dozed off on southbound C-5, between Bicutan and Calamba exits, the length of the STAR tollway, along the old highway to Tanauan, and from Tagaytay through Sta. Rosa till the C-5 exit on SLEX. I must've slept a third of the day-trip. I had recovered much of the sleep lost over the Christmas season.

Then there was food. We were all looking forward to lunch in Tagaytay: I mean it can't get any better than a hot lunch after a long road trip at a resto overlooking the famous lake within a volcano within a lake within a volcano with the whole family. Too bad that the rains stirred up pea soup thick fog that obscured the view though. But the food at Antonio's Grill made up for it in a big way. We were so hungry that we over-ordered: bowls of batchoy big enough for two, chicken inasal plates again for two, the famous tawilis then a humongous grilled bangus. We then cleared the palate with their awesome turon filled with tikoy and sweetened banana, ube and langka. We intended to walk down to Starbucks but the rains made a mess of everything. We moved coffee to the Starbucks in the Shell station near the San Pedro exit.

We haven't had a family excursion for some time so the trip was extra-special. Using a rental service with driver ensured that everyone remained in good spirits and was rested over the entire trip. It was money well spent

On makeover shows

2008-01-10T08:16:00.000-08:00

I find myself drawn to watching shows like Queer Eye and How Do I Look lately because I think I like to cheer on personal transformations and triumphs. Everyone loves winners but even more if we get to see the transformation unfold slowly. It taps the voyeur in all of us, thus the success of reality shows. But is my interest more an attempt to somehow assimilate someone else's victory vicariously, visually? Is this the same reasoning that drives people to hide the self-improvement books and audio material from friends and family for fear of being seen as lacking self esteem?

Either I should work on more personal victories, see my life with rosier lenses, continue watching the shows or all of the above.

On Four Eyed Monster

2008-01-10T04:47:00.000-08:00

I just watched this YouTube movie that apparently has been getting much attention from the indie film set. The movie is titled Four Eyed Monster, with the four eyes referring to people in "couple-dom". Contrast that to jealousy, the three eyed monster. I guess one of them is winking...in jealousy.

In any case, I didn't get the movie. I guess I just found the story too angst-driven, too obsessed or self-obsessed, with the characters unable to process feelings and words . Is it a New York thing to have that feeling of isolation, of being alone in the crush of millions?

Watching the movie for me was significant though; I don't really like to sit still for more than 30 minutes especially for movies. I guess I just feel that there is something else or somewhere else for me to do or be. Probably the movie was compelling enough for me to see it through...ok, not really since I was occasionally flipping between it and my Facebook page and Yahoo accounts.

In any case, I will attach the URL here for everyone else to view, judge, enjoy, critique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8rRFFi_stY

On being the change

2008-01-08T17:03:00.001-08:00

One of the inspirations I had for the naming of the blog, and I guess for the direction I plan to take in life, is the new CNN segment called Be The Change. The program allows viewers to contribute their stories on how they are contributing meaningfully to improving life. Viewers take us on a video blog of their projects and the results they have had or are hoping to have with their work. So the challenge then is how I may live and be the change I hope to see.

The radio

2008-01-08T16:59:00.000-08:00

It's still true that one learns something new from the radio: the Boys of DWTM late last night said that the bird of love is the SWALLOW. Too funny.

Sibs night out

2008-01-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

Ateng, Yay and I decided to go out on a sibs date while the folks were at a party with their friends. We haven't gone out in two years so we were looking forward to the night.

We waited for Yay to come home from work (I fortunately had taken a leave) then drove together to Eastwood City, well, to the strip mall adjacent to Eastwood. Muy and Yay had fallen hard for Omakase, a Japanese restaurant. Muy ate there with her classmates and we have gone there several times since.

We decided on a selection of sushi instead of the usual a la carte plates, much the way we eat at Chinese restaurants with their dimsum cart. We had five different plates of everything from spider crabs to spicy unagi to butterflied shrimps plus a plate of teriyaki chicken, which we washed down with house tea. We must have been really hungry since we cleaned up forty pieces plus eight slices of the chicken.

We then transferred to Eastwood City for dessert. We scanned the stores and restaurants for someplace that offered ice cream and strangely enough, there were none. We ended up at DQ...it's like Ateng never came home. Oh well.

It was a typical Friday night with Eastwood bursting with visitors. Families, call center agents, office employees, model wannabes, tourists were on every table, streets, parking lots, even comfort rooms! Incredible to see buying interest after the Christmas season.

Too bad, none of merchants in Eastwood had my terminals. I will have that rectified in January.

NAIA I

2008-01-03T20:43:00.000-08:00

My Ateng took the last flight in from HKG on CX. She vowed never to fly CX again because the trip took most of a day with a required stop in HKG and because Chep Lap Kok was so so huge. CX from SFO disembarked at Gate 1 then they were told to wait for the MNL leg at Gate 20 then moved later to Gate 3...it was a virtual work-out. She really thanks the inventors of wheeled carry-ons.

While waiting for her at the airport driveway (more on this later), my Mom and I noticed the hordes (literally) of Koreans descending from a late flight from either Seoul or Busan. We ranked as the second biggest destination for Koreans, second only to Hong Kong. What's more significant is that the difference between the two countries was only 5,000 guests -- something like 17 more B-777 or B-747 planeloads in a year. Kudos to Ace Durano.

As for the arrival, we were waiting long at the airport driveway but didn't see Ateng so we drove to the "Customer is King" Caltex station to kill time. Yay called us to say that Ateng had apparently been waiting at the upper lobby and was refusing to come down. Ateng said that we didn't discuss the exact waiting arrangements and in fact, was arguing with the porters about it. We had to talk her down the lower driveway. She hasn't been home too long. Funny.

Idle thought

2008-01-03T05:34:00.000-08:00

Like my mom always says, an idle mind is the devil's playground...or was it the hands? Anyway, while working at clearing the mind-sludge of the holidays, I heard of two more friends taking that job leap.

The first will hit the group like the proverbial ton of bricks if and when it comes into fruition. However, I feel that the move is the best professional decision this friend will take. I mean why stay if the recognition, both soft and hard, comes oh so very slowly while the work is increasing geometrically - with no positive resolution in sight.

The other is my best friend who will make his first professional move in ten years. In his case, the deserved recognitions have come but the opportunity to participate in a new project was just too irresistible.

So is it that an idle mind is also an envious mind?

First day of work blues

2008-01-01T21:19:00.000-08:00

I had psyched myself to face the new year by writing down my January objectives on my new Starbucks planner (sucker!!!), updating my Facebook shout-out to reflect my eagerness, and laying out my clothes for the day. I woke up at 5:15 A.M. to get myself into the office early and to avoid the fine for violating "coding"; I even packed breakfast and took my coffee to go so as to get out earlier. So, as the saying goes, I left home "with a song in my heart yadda yadda yadda"...

...only to be told that most of my colleagues have decided to take an extra day off today to finish off their residual vacation leave days! AAARRRGGGHHH!!!! I could've slept in then watched the new episodes and cartoons of Nick the whole darn day!

P.S. But then, I would've missed back-to-back RPM and Cycling classes later on today. Again, that silver lining...

Feeling my mortality

2007-12-30T03:39:00.000-08:00

I knew something was wrong three quarters through the Cycling work-out with Ogie last Thursday noon. He was subbing for Emy who was on her holiday leave.

Ogie was good, if not a little bit too enthusiastic...then again, challenging work-outs like Cycling and RPM require a lot of spirit from the instructors if we are to stay on the bikes. His approach to the sets was new, as compared to the that of Emy which, by this time, I had more or less remembered enough to anticipate the moves. And so I intended to complete Ogie's class at the challenge level he set for us.

I added resistance when he instructed and followed the cadence he set and he added and set for a real cycling challenge. We must have added resistance of at least 30% for every set, including for sprints; some climbs were even at more than 50%. Yet I soldiered on, rationalising that I have done this many times daily, even twice daily, in the past. And so it was for 45 minutes with nine sets, including warm-up and cool down.

Two things that differed from my past work-outs were that I didn't have a drop to drink during the work-out and that it was especially warm in the studio for the duration of the work-out. I was following Emy's example of challenging myself by not taking breaks during the entire routine, including ones for drinking or stretching.

I just felt light-headed during the last climb. I was so winded just two minutes into the routine that I "cheated" and reduced my resistance by 20%. I was so tired the rest of the day that I practically passed out at my desk at around 3PM. I then started to binge on the chips and chocolates I received as gifts that day. Then the finger tips of both my hands started to tingle, like after compression. Then on occasion my stomach would heave if only slightly. I was having dizziness episodes on the drive home as well but I dismissed it as post-workout exhaustion.

But I was feeling again woozy the following morning. I was having brief bouts of dizziness accompanied by light-headedness. I borrowed the office digital blood pressure monitor at around 11:30 AM and it read: 137/76. Slightly high but likely caused by the rush to get to the office, albeit late. My second reading taken at around 8PM read: 147/80; higher now but likely because of the end-of-year party binge.

It was serious enough for me to forego two successive days of work-outs. In fact, I found myself praying those nights. I mean, it doesn't hurt to be prepared to meet the Maker, right? I just had to get back today but I passed on Sam's Cycling class which is a guaranteed hyper-tensioner, opting instead for resistance training using my Facebook-based workout guide. Tomorrow I will hazard Sam's Cycling again.

Wish me luck!

Going home to Lipa

2007-12-30T01:56:00.001-08:00

My mom was quite insistent on us making the trip...she must've reminded me twice daily for a week. This was an important homecoming for her: her only female cousin on her mother's side was home from Mississauga, Ontario and celebrating her 73rd birthday. So we had to take this trip.

Tita came along of course, she's family after all. But we left Dad so he can attend to his uncle's birthday celebration later that night.

The trip started out languidly, as I had objected to leaving the house at 8AM. The heat had built up in the house so stepping out of the shower was like getting in a sauna. Dressing up was no fun as I had to change shirts twice just to mop up all the sweat.

We drove off at around 10 AM - making for a comfortable 2 hour road trip to Lipa. Traffic was light all the way until Nichols SLEX then the crawl until the Bicutan exit. We picked up a chocolate cake and gased up at Shell Magallanes beforehand though (Note: that chocolate cake is a steal at around P300). I had forgotten about the lifting of the truck ban so we had the behemoths as traveling companions all the way to Calamba.

Of course, any drive to Lipa with my mom and aunt automatically qualifies it as a pilgrimage so ingress-venue-egress rosaries are required. So we started the first one at the Southwoods exit and ended near the Makiling Residence Center in Bgy. Tulo (if we managed to have Sexmoan changed to Sasmuan, couldn't we do the same for Bgy. Tulo? Just thinking). We drove right into the Carmelite convent for the second rosary but left the last for the drive home.

We passed our Tita's house but it was empty. My mom called my aunt's daughter-in-law: what do you know, the venue is in the municipality of Mataas na Kahoy. My late uncle was from the town and inherited the family manse. And this was where the family was gathered.

I have never been to Mataas Na Kahoy (MNK, for short) so it was an adventure. I was instructed to drive along the National Highway towards Batangas City then hang a right after Fernando Air Base. Then a left at the first intersection right after the PNP checkpoint then a right right before a welcome arch.

The party was well under way. Now understand that this was a party for a 73 year old so there wasn't (much) booze or a garage band or a DI. It was a proper lunch, catered by family members, with certain food items serving specific cultural purposes. Pancit or local noodles is a fixture as it signifies long life. Lechon is another must-have as it denotes the host's stature. Most of everything else complements the two like the fresh cantaloupe and watermelon slices for dessert. The fresh lumpia and macaroni salad were on their way to bad in the heat though.

The canvas tent managed to block of the sun but couldn't do much about the heat. But a stiff breeze would steal through once in a while, briefly cutting through the humidity.

We were impressed upon to repair immediately to the second floor sala as the heat was making itself felt on the elders. Typical of old houses, screened windows with sliding shutters surrounded the room. Wooden cutouts decorated the eaves, allowing for better air circulation throughout the house. And the all living spaces are on the upper floors. The change was felt immediately: a cooling breeze was blowing through. It was a natural airconditioner and it dried us all up quickly.

True to form: dessert was laid out in the dining area. As if lechon, lumpia, pancit, deep-fried breaded fish, meatballs, fried chicken and rice weren't filling enough, they had ube cake, black forest cake, ripe mangoes and homemade chocolate muffins. I opted for the latter since Ate Joy made them by hand. It was your basic cupcake recipe but topped with gooey chocolate with the consistency of honey. I don't know what she put into it but it was pretty good; I think she mixed in some cinnamon powder into the dough. And nothing complements sugar better than coffee.

My mom and aunts spent the rest of the afternoon updating themselves on each other's lives and then some while I napped in the sala. A great way to spend a lazy weekend.

On watching a play with complimentary tickets

2007-12-30T01:53:00.000-08:00

I was invited one late Friday afternoon to watch The Rep's play, Glorious, starring, among others, Joy Virata. Tickets were courtesy of a friend who got them for free...I guess "play-culture" hasn't yet taken hold in Manila that I managed to score the free viewing. Now, if the tickets were for a free movie, then all bets are off.

Since the tickets specified 8 P.M., I waded into Friday-night traffic to Greenbelt. Can't say much else of this quasi-penitential procession of vehicles into the heart of commercial Makati except for "Aaarrrggghh!" And they even had traffic enforcers: double "Aaarrrgghh!"

The secret to stree-free parking in Greenbelt, for you non-Makati denizens, is to immediatelly go to the Greenbelt 1 parking: it was half-filled, in contrast to the parking in the newer Greenbelt area. What's a short walk compared to burning gas (and brewing bile) while waiting for a free slot in the latter.

To the play. The rep of The Rep (pun intended) ensures one of a professionally run production. True to form, the second half started at the stated time, despite the fact that ex-PM Cesar Virata and Amb. Yuchengco were still at the theatre lobby.

I'm not a theatre-buff/critic but the cast, the production, and the score were excellent. The sound system could use an upgrade though: it was scratchy throughout the performance, detracting from the otherwise flawless night

A story

2007-12-30T01:52:00.000-08:00

I have my hair cut at this barbershop in Robinsons Galleria and usually by any one of three barbers. On this particular day, Zaldy was free so I sat on his chair. In the course of the service, I commented on a feature on Channel 7 (the TV was on at that time) about the riles community. Suddenly, Zaldy said that he at one point lived in the streets, finding sleep in any relatively flat surface like a tricycle cab. I asked him when and how. He said it was something like seventeen years ago in Davao City. He had run away from home at fifteen after his parents asked him to drop out of school to allow an older sibling to finish schooling. He ended up living around Bangkerohan Market in Davao. He taught himself the trade (haircutting) to support himself. He only returned home after a year and only after his father spotted him in the market.

He ran away again three years later after a particularly bad argument that ended with both he and his father drawing blades on each other. He packed all his belongings in a small bag and took all of P300 to strike out into the world. He slipped onboard a Manila-bound boat as a stowaway. He was discovered as the boat was nearing Cebu island. He was emotionally traumatized by the experience, he said. The crew threatened to set him adrift as punishment. He offered his cutting services to work off the fare. He ended up cutting hair and shaving all the crew of the boat but had to leave his equipment at the port of Manila until he could make the P848 debt to the shipping company. He managed to recover his clipper and scissors after a week.

He marvelled how he was able to find his way around those first few months with not a word of Tagalog. He got so lost one time that he found himself in Cubao after missing his Boni stop on the bus -- he admitted crying in desperation. He even had to ask a Visayan to call a friend on his behalf. This friend, also from Davao, got him his first job and a place to stay. With nothing else to do and little money to do anything with, he concentrated on his work, often putting in 16-hour days in a small barbershop in Manila.

He proudly said that in the thirteen years since stepping off the boat, he had managed to earn enough as a barber to have owned three houses and a motorcycle. He lost everything when his marriage, and likely his confidence subsequently, broke down. He bemoans not having much presently and having to start all over again. Given his history and relative youth (he's only 31), I am sure he will be able to get much of what he lost back.

I sometimes bitch and moan (and if you really knew me, this is nothing new) about life in general, moreso now, with a slow economy and elections around the corner. But hearing his story got me thinking: there is really no depth from which we cannot ascend from. And it doesn't just take inheritance or special circumstance to uplift one's situation in life, it takes guts, determination, and perseverance.

Serendipity...with a P100 haircut.

Working off one's sins to one's parents

2007-12-30T01:51:00.002-08:00

It came as a rude shock to me when, while alone, I realized that my parents were old. Not because of the caricature of the elderly that often have in mind (my parents still have most of their chewing teeth, all their hair and very few age lines) but because of the amount of medicine and relative care they now require; for example, a cold and chills were something my dad braved a decade ago but pneumonia almost took him two weeks ago. And so as any dutiful child, we align our lives towards first supplementing then likely down the road, providing for their future.

But beyond money, I also realized that we must provide for their emotional care as well. These are people who have devoted three to four decades to meaningful work that engaged their minds and bodies and provided them not just with monetary compensation but with psychical challenge and fulfillment, too. Retirement, I am now often told, starts their general decline.

It's good that my Dad has found his niche in the remittance business so banks have been asking for his consultative expertise. So for the family, it's one down, Mom to go. My mother is rarely un-engaged though. Concerns of the home occupy her, which is a good thing because I wouldn't know the first thing in anything to run our household. She always says that homemaking is the most important but unpaid profession. Nevertheless, my sibs and I have to worry.

Serendipity (that lovely thing again) came by way of a lecture in my mom's Church group. A U.P. professor taught her coffee-klatsch the basics of producing and retailing household chemicals. My mom came home excited about her new knowledge. My sibs and I gave her her first capital infusion and equipment. She then remodeled a section of the garage into her laboratory/factory. Last Christmas saw her first orders from our cousins and aunt for their personal gifts.

Despite her early success, she still has doubts on her ability to run her little enterprise. Nothing in her family background really prepared her for business. In fact, she was the first in so many generations of her (paternal-side) family to work, they being land-owners. So our role is not just to bank-roll her preoccupation but to encourage her as well.

Emotional development in children is important as it will determine how successful they will be as adults but it is equally important for the elderly in order to cope with the many physical changes they will or have already undergone (think menopause). Included in this is developing new challenges and new goals. And for us their children to contribute by engaging them in their new endeavors fully -- if only to give encouragement once in a while.

So watch out for Muy's Homecare Systems and support a way of paying parents' back for years of unconditional love.

Flying first

2007-12-30T01:51:00.001-08:00

A friend recently told me that Cebu Pacific has come up with a novel idea in building a stable of pilots: offer a scholarship. As far as my friend can remember, the airline will offer anywhere between 50-80% coverage of the P3.5 million tuition in exchange for years of service. The only requirement is for 20-20 vision and a certain aptitude for flight mechanics. In just one year, you can be piloting an Airbus. I suddenly remembered my first flying lesson 22 years ago and wonder if this is a new possible professional direction.

I know it was a Friday the thirteenth because when I called my mom soon after getting back to barracks, she told me the significance of the date. My decision not to inform them was deliberate - I didn't want them to talk me out of the session. I just knew it was among those few things I had to do for myself then.

The session started easily enough: "Colonel", the head of the Aviation Dept., sends the service station wagon to pick you up from any point on campus. I believe I said to meet at the Logansport Gate. Colonel was a co-pilot of the B-52D nuclear bomber of the U.S. Strategic Air Command before retiring to teach in Culver. He also loves his tobacco and the whole car reeks of it. I believe I developed my taste for pipe tobacco from those car rides.

The drive was ordinary by any Culver spring: the trees lining the road were shaking off a harsh Midwestern winter by sprouting new leaves to catch the sun while squirrels were out in force gorging after their long sleep. Perfect day with perfect flying weather.

The first thing you see as you drive to the hangars are the gleaming white and maroon planes of the school, arranged wingtip-to-wingtip out on the tarmac.

The Colonel led me into the hangar to start the lesson. We started with the pre-flight briefing. I know I should've read the manual but with AP English, Chemistry, and Grenadiers practice everyday, I just didn't have the time...but also likely, neither the discipline.

He showed me around the aircraft. Up to that point, I have always thought of planes as being this solid metallic wonder: all firm and sleek and complicated. What I saw then came as a shock: I remember telling my mom later on that it as no more than an aluminum and plastic coffin. The forward hatch was open to reveal the engine and I reached out and shook the aluminum panel covering in disbelief. It was so pliable, almost frail.

Boarding the plane was even more surreal: we had to step on the low-slung wings of the Piper. And when you clambered on board, the plane shook, almost groaning at the weight of two men on her.

The cabin was fairly cramped but comfy for four. It was all of plastic forms and glass panels and analog instruments. The plane cross-section is no wider than one and a half arm's length: I remember reaching across the Colonel's line of sight just to get a feel of her dimensions. At this, the Colonel grunted his seeming amusement but said nothing, likely relishing the excitement (and fear?) of a newbie flier.

He talked me through the pre-flight with the manual. When everything checked out, he had me start the engine. The plane shuddered thrice before the engine caught then hummed as the propellers reached their full rpms.

We taxied out of the hangar using the yoke and the foot pedals. We made our way slowly to the single asphalt runway. I guess since we were basically a service and training field, we didn't need to have a control tower so we radioed a tower somewhere east of our location.

After final adjustment of the flaps, Colonel told me to "floor" the engine. The little plane shook with the increased power then slowly started her run down the asphalt. Our speed steadily increased as the grove of pine trees in the horizon came closer. When the needle hit 65 mph, Colonel told me to pull on the yoke. I guess I didn't do it fast enough because he suddenly grabbed the stick and pulled back harder. We missed the tree tops by a mere ten feet, quite close by aviation standards.

We climbed till we hit 1,000 feet, I think, then the Colonel had me level off. We adjusted the pitch for normal flight and pulled up the flaps. Our Pipers have fixed undercarriages so there was no need for wheel retraction.

Indiana is generally flat so at a thousand feet with clear skies, you can see all the way to Chicago. Actually, you will know it is Chicago by the ominous looking nimbus cloud of pollution hanging heavily above it.

The view is spectacular. With the plane optimized for level flight, I can release my tense hold on the yoke and watch the scenery. The ground is neatly laid out like a quilt of soy and wheat squares, Indiana's chief crops. Lake Maxinkuckee lies to my right like a large mirror. The cities of Logansport, South Bend, and Warsaw lay before and around us. I see other planes below us: crop-sprayers, sport planes, and business jets. The contrails of commercial aircraft criss-cross the skies above us.

Colonel teaches me to radio our identity and location to a nearby tower under whose jurisdiction we fly over. We repeat this several times as we cross over different zones of control.

I learn to bank for turns, keeping a certain landmark at my right or left wingtip. I learn slow turns that will allow me to descend slowly while circling an airfield. I learn quick dizzying turns to keep me at my present altitude but flying in the opposite direction. Keeping the nose level with the horizon is a good way of controlling the plane: nose up and we stall, nose down and we speed right up. Diving is quite a thrill -- comes with this screaming sound you hear on WWII movies of Stukas bombing and strafing.

We did a touch and go at another airfield, pretending to abort a landing. Learned that we shouldn't bounce an aircraft if we wanted to keep the undercarriage in one piece and our lunch properly digested.

Just before the hour was up, the Colonel decided to have some fun (at my expense). He had me turn off the engines so we can glide. The sudden quiet was unnerving - then again, seeing the plane as a coffin first then having to fly it unpowered now can be quite frightening. Colonel then had me practice banking while gliding. Altitude loss was far quicker now so corrections had to be made faster. I was white-knuckling all the way.

After we dropped down to something like 500 feet, Colonel had me start her back up. The rumbling sound was really welcome now; the revving like a soothing balm for my nerves. We climbed back up to altitude for even more fun.

Colonel had me feather the engine for level flight then had me watch the ball. He then slowly pulled on the yoke for a slow climb. The engines started shuddering, like running a car on 4th gear in traffic, then the plane suddenly lost power, slowed, then dropped. We were in a controlled stall. The Colonel simply let go the yoke to drop the nose then we built back the speed in a dive. Now that was better than a roller-coaster ride...and without me screaming like a little girl.

My time was up so we lined up for the approach. After radioing our position, we dropped the flaps and adjusted our pitch for landing. The deployed flaps changed our flying profile so much that we lose altitude gradually.

The wind over Maxinkuckee was now blowing across the runway that we had to fight yawing. If you thought handling the yoke was hard, controlling yaw with the foot pedals is a bigger challenge. Nothing in my experience taught me to control moving left to right with my feet alone. So it was a strange experience having to fly with my right wing forward up until fifteen feet above the runway. We then swung the plane back forward then touched down.

Actually, it was more bounced down. I think we went up twenty feet before settling back down hard. Shook me up so much that my teeth chattered. Since you always land with power up, you had to push down on the yoke to keep the nose down. The Colonel then feathered the engine while I applied the nose brake gently so as not to blow the tire. He had me taxi back to the line up. The Colonel was very charitable in his assessment: most newbies flub their landings and that with a bit more practice, I will nail a three-point landing eventually.

We did the post-flight check-up before unbuckling from the seats. We clambered out of the cabin and off the wing. I patted the plane as a way of thanking it for getting me back safely before walking over to the station wagon.

I was shaking when I got in the front seat. I was chilled by the wind and my sweaty undershirt. The temp had dropped considerably when the cabin doors were opened - two large men generate a lot of heat in a small enclosed space. I just pulled my jacket tighter around me. The Colonel thankfully turned the heater on low for the drive back.

I flew for another seven hours after that. It was getting expensive so I stopped before getting to fly my first solo. I still haven't gotten over my love of planes and of flying -- it's good that my work involves some air travel at least twice a year. And I still have getting my pilot's license in my list of life to-do's.

Ruining my Shangri-La

2007-12-30T01:50:00.001-08:00

In as much as I would love to gush over my new found visual paradise, I have to rant over the public service failings of my favorite sights. Doesn't really detract from the beauty of the place but does soil the memories like paper acid on old favorite photographs.

You can really see how much local officials respect their constituents by the quality of civil structures, esp. transportation stops. Gare d'Nord, Termini, Central Station in Amsterdam, the bus stops in SIngapore, the Ferry Harbor of Hong Kong, heck, even the public urinals of Bayani are examples of elegant but utilitarian structures. The central bus station in GenSan along with the Manila Domestic Airport are both notorious eyesores and public health menace. A tin roof supported by concrete pillars in a virtual sea of cracked earth and dust does not a transportation node make. And don't even get me started on the public restrooms. Calling on Congresswoman Darlene! So you've KO'd Pacman, now get working on this.

Now really....

...to be continued on my next visit

Finding Shangri-La

2007-12-30T01:48:00.000-08:00

Haven't you had this determination to see or have something? I'm sure we all have a virtual laundry list of desires. Everything from riches to a relationship to respect to power. So that's fairly normal.

Now can we remember what were our earliest desires in life? Back before college graduation, before puberty, even before our tween years. Well I can. I've always wanted in my heart of hearts to go to Davao. Really.

Sounds mundane but I have always had this fascination for Davao. It's not for the durian (which is always always good), the bananas, the pomelos, the waling-waling or whatever. It has always been for the idea of being in the place called Davao. True, my dad and sis' work with the airlines had afforded me to see many parts of the civilized world but I have always wished to set foot in Davao.

Well, my wishes were granted when the office arranged for an Outreach in 2005. We stayed at the Marco Polo Hotel, the best hotel in the city. But I was so disappointed: my decades long dream came true but it didn't feel at all special that time. Yes, I had my fill of durian and pomelo and marang (thank you God for this fruit!) and mangosteen and tuna belly and...well, you get the picture. Of course, the breakfast buffet at the hotel was just incredible (que sabroso!) but still no fireworks - unless you consider the flatulence after particularly large meals. I had the same feeling when I returned twice after for merchant events. I really couldn't understand why after wishing for so long that the experience was such a let-down.

This last trip however was different. A colleague and I decided to fly in General Santos City to visit KCC and Fit Mart Malls then commute to Davao after. We finished the work at around 3 PM so we went straight to the bus terminal to catch a Yellow Bus to Davao.

(Please see following blog-rant)

We opted to wait for the direct bus to Davao. Most of the other rides had one or two stops before the city, adding hours to an already three-hour road ride. Most stop in Digos, capital of Davao Sur while others were headed up the Muslim north like Cotabato, Koronadal, Magunidanao. If it weren't for Bonamine (God bless Meclizine MCL), these trips will never be for me. Or else, I would be busy mopping up today's lunch off the bus aisle or myself.

We finally got on our bus after depositing my very large rolling luggage. I usually travel with a large soft-sided rolling suitcase so I can check-in as many of our electronic equipment and merchandising material as possible then haul back as much pasalubong home. I just make sure I have at least five large garbage bags and a number of medium sized zip lock bags to wrap my essentials in. Remember, provincial airports are nothing more than (barely) airconditioned waiting sheds with no protection from the elements and luggage are usually left to drench during collection. And believe me, the stench of daing na palad/pusit/isda doesn't easily wash out from your clothes. So wrap them tight, making sure all the air is squeezed out of the bags. A roll of packing tape comes in handy, too.

Back to the trip. My mom trained her kids to be able to sleep as soon as our backs hit padding material. So true to form, I was snoring (and I do emphasize the snoring part) just as soon as the bus crossed left the second bus stop in the city.

I woke when I felt my head violently swaying from side to side. We were on the zig-zag descending towards the plains of Davao Sur. And just on time, I thought. The vista slowly unfolded as we would take a zig then a zag. The valley below was like a lush green carpet, no, a big lush green shag carpet. Trees, bushes and shrubs as far as the eye can see, arranged seemingly haphazardly. It was like wave upon undulating wave of agricultural success, neatly arranged in farm squares. I just wish it was offset by virgin forest.

This was the blessing of the gods: a temperate climate and away from the typhoon belt. Trees that have never been bent nor denuded by strong winds not swept away by floods or mudflows. At last, found my Shangri-La.

P.S. It has been recently tainted by the knowledge that the insecticide/miticide used to kill giant spiders that live among the banana trees is also slowly killing farm workers.