The Eligible Bachelor

hello ladiessssss.

Cruised in his Porsche 911 down the street. Got out of his car and did a red carpet entrance. Cladded with designer clothes, flanked by his bodyguards and his drop-dead gorgeous date. Striding across the hall with his I-own-this-place-attitude. Smiles. Nonchalant. Elegant. Making his presence felt. Everybody's looking his way. And everyone gossiped about how he was worth a billion bucks... He suddenly smooches his date and did a little PDA that shocked the mob. Ok, I made this last sentence up.


But you know who I am talking about.


PNoy is a bachelor. Some may argue the most eligible bachelor. Being the patriarch of 90million hopefuls hope-fools, with literally an army to back him up, he emulates power in every goddamn way. Who wouldn't fall for someone like him? Gulp.  :|


Now, the real issue for me is quite pressing: Looking at Pnoy makes me wonder what would it take to be an eligible bachelor. I know that applying many people's standards won't even put PNoy under the term "eligible" for some obvious "homer" reasons.  


By eligible I mean someone who's gonna knock you off your feet without much effort. Someone who's been there, financially and emotionally stable. Someone who can carry a decent and meaningful conversation. Someone who's slick, even sarcastic, and confident. Someone who exudes masculinity and tempered silence. Smirk on his face knowing that everyone looks at him with admiration and wishful thinking. Proud of himself yet humbled by who he became to be. 


Eligible means ready. Cut-out to become your McDreamy. A big fish. One that's really hard to find. One who's a keeper.


Why would girls drool over such a catch? Because men like those are scarce. Seldom found. And what would it take to be someone like that? A billion bucks? Harvard education? Executive directorship? Pondering about these questions led me to believe that men have the birthright--or maybe more appropriately curse--to be the breadwinner... not just for families, but for themselves... To strive for success. To strive for QUALIFICATION. To strive for stability. To prove themselves capable. To become the man girls will line up to get a piece of.


Ladies drool over McDreamy for the qualities he brings to the table. And these qualities often pertain to looks, stature, and potential. Romanticized. 


More and more I find it very difficult for men to become eligible. You girls have criteria all over. Height. Hair color. Complexion. Overall looks. Accent. Clothes. Money. Career. Car. House. Attitude. GUYS: Have all of those... and ladies will go gaga over you. Most people say men are superficial. Well I've got news for you: so are women. 


To become an eligible bachelor, you must have compelling characteristics that make girls want to take you home to their parents and get married the day after (Haha :|). That is why I think many guys get married at 30-35 years old. That way you have experienced around 10 years of your career, been where most people strive to be, had everything under control. Really independent of anything. Stable and satisfied. 


It really would make sense. 


But most people decide to get married way before the "eligible" stage and they seem to be happy about it. They can enjoy the kids more because they are still young. They spend the day with the wifey and enjoy each other's company without being concerned about getting tired too early. And I admire those people. Many of my friends are in fact getting married soon (some are already married) and I can't help but be proud of the things they sacrifice in order to be together.


It really would make sense to wait and become the eligible bachelor who has everything girls would really drool about. But in the end it's the question you have to answer by yourself: are you eligible enough to get married or not? Sometimes it's just a state of mind. Sometimes it's just a matter of choice. Oftentimes it doesn't even matter. And if you guys find someone who would accept you not as McDreamy (or like PNoy :| ), like the "eligible" bachelor this world defined it to be, and just accept you for who you are a-la-BrunoMars... then she might also be a keeper like you always are. 


I admire girls who would look past those superficial and worldly traits...


And for girls who are apparently superficial: our post-midlife-crisis President is still available. Or... you can wait all you want for the so-called (but highly disputable in so many angles) Mr. David-Beckham-of-the-Philippines all you want... But for all I know, his namesake is not all that true anymore 20 years from now. 


So what does it take to be an eligible bachelor? absolutely NOTHING. Every guy deserves to be considered eligible (although anyone can use a Porsche, or a TonyStarkAudiR8). Every (caveat: nice and sincere) guy should have a chance to sweep you off your feet. 

Pipe dream

I will never be this guy

I always talk about dreaming big. After all, I am the Dream Economist. For me, all you need is a pair of hope, a cup of will, an ounce of determination, and a tablespoon of looking at the brightside. And there you have it, the recipe for success. For reaching that big dream. It works. Look at the Forbes Magazine-worthy life-stories of tycoons and you'll hear them say the same thing. 

But what if those are not enough? Is there such a thing as hard luck? Unfortunately, there is.

Better be lucky than great. No matter how much effort or time you put into it, sometimes those are not good enough. Sometimes, luck is what separates billionaires from the poor, haves from the have-nots, and kingpins from the slaves. Luck is the kicker, the thing that not everyone has. Luck essentially catapults an individual from nothingness to awesomeness. 

I mean look at Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. I am sure there are other people who are capable of coming up with personal computers in the 70s, but these two pulled it off with a combination of right timing and opportunities presented. Maybe right timing is everything. Maybe. But what if that time doesn't come? Mr. Gates and Mr. Jobs both had the right time on their teams. 

Look at Charice Pempengco. She didn't win a local contest in the Philippines but was lucky enough to be discovered by the likes of David Foster and Oprah Winfrey. I am sure, there are thousands of talents that are much better than her without a record label or any opportunity to showcase their talents. AT ALL. (not that I am not impressed with her, but I know there are a lot of people waiting to be given a chance)

Look at Manny Pacquaio. Look at the winners of reality TV shows who are now famous for who-knows-what. Look at lottery winners who became instant millionaires.

Reality is harsh. Because not every one has the same share of the pie. Big slices are allocated for a selected few--no matter how we feel we are more deserving than those few people. While economics deal with the allocation of scarce resources, sometimes economics is a b*tch because that allocation is skewed towards the lucky few. The spread of luck is uneven. (and now the more reason to hate life?)

I am not saying lucky people aren't deserving to have luck on their sides. I am not saying they didn't work hard to be in that position (I am sure they did). But luck is a breakthrough everyone should have and not just a select few. At least that's how I feel about it. 

Oh well that's life. And most people end up by saying "I make my own luck." That's true. Create opportunities. Work around the system. Hard luck doesn't have to stop us from accomplishing that dream. What's the cliche "try and try until you succeed" is for anyway? 

For me, yes. Pipe dreams do exist. I know for sure that I won't be a billionaire by the time I am 40 (which means I am still hoping to be a billionaire when I'm fifty haha). I know for sure that I won't grow any taller than I already am (which is just sad but I've accepted that God compensated my physical limitations with something else...). I know for sure that I won't be like John Mayer or Jason Mraz (although I somehow think my music is worth listening to). I needed luck to have all of those. But LUCK didn't go so well for me in those aspirations. 

But we all have to look past those luck issues and start making up for it in other ways. I always say it could have been worse. Yeah, it could have been worse. Look at this video. In the end we are all lucky to be here. To be where we are now, no matter how much we feel deprived of the things we want and the things we need.

Luck may be what separates us from our pipe dreams, wants, and what-have-yous. We can all have the recipes for success and it may not be enough still. We may consider luck as the secret ingredient. But it shouldn't stop us from living life to the fullest. Luck may be a shortcut and your ticket to whatever. But when the dust settles, the important thing to remember is to make the best use of what we have, and not what we can/should/could have. Life ain't measured by the end result--because we all have the same ending anyways--but by the means, effort and journeys we took. We can always take a jab at dreams and successes everyday. 

And luck is just there to make things a little more interesting. 

Mr. Brightside

you're amazing just the way you are

One of the things I always remember in evaluating my life, planning the next move and diagnosing the future is everything is self-fulfilling. If you think you're going to screw it up, then you are screwed. But if you think tomorrow is going to be a bright day, then make sure to pack your sunglasses because sunshine is exactly what you are going to get. 

Hope for the best and prepare for the worst, this is the usual mantra. Hope that everything will be alright. But it's not that easy to be optimistic when inefficiencies and hangups surround us. It's so easy to be insecure. 

Exhibit A: girl weaves through dozens of wardrobes to look for the perfect (for the lack of better word) get-up, takes a few hours, looks in the mirror and puts on different shades of make-ups, can't decide what to use, takes another hour. And then she becomes upset that her closet isn't big enough, the mirror's making her look fat, and every dress she wears reminds her of her asshole ex boyfriend. Don't even get me started with shoes and bags...

What is this phenomenon? It's called "analysis-paralysis." We analyze too much. We all do, not just girls. 

Exhibit B: Guy's in his car, parked in front of his date's house, waiting nervously for the girl (introduced by his colleagues), thinking about appropriate things to say, trying to smell like a million bucks, cleaning up his trunk and leather seats, playing the third song from his custom-made playlist. With the i-never-been-on-a-date-for-a-year attitude painted on his forehead, he rehearses his "you look amazing" speech, thinking he's in big trouble. 

Yes you are. You are in big trouble because of your insecurities and analysis paralysis. We are all guilty of this in one way or another. But you know what, it doesn't help and we know it. We're so paralyzed by our own thinking that we can't move forward. In the end, you will get what you don't want to get and exactly the opposite of what you ordered. 

But the other way around works. Works like magic. Make a call, like saying "this night is going to be awesome" and don't pretend. You know you are awesome. You should be. And no one's going to steal your thunder tonight. Then walla, we hear music and magic. 

Why is it hard to be optimistic? Because society teaches us to be cynics. Bad experiences. Inexperience. Personal incapacity. Social class. Money. But if we just move past those, if we could just expand our horizons, we'll be a lot better. 

I am Mr. Brightside. I know (we all do) the future is uncertain and there will always be bumps and stopovers along the way.  We know it's not perfect, but it doesn't help if we raise our eyebrows every time we are uncertain about what's going to happen. The bright side is it could have been worse, everything is going to be fine. 

You want an example that's not relationship-based? Look at the stock market. It's full of self-fulfilling prophecies based on calculated risks and analysis-backed valuation. But in the end you have to make a call yourself. And if you believe in it enough that everyone also believes in you, you might just be right. Right now the market is optimistic, bullish, because of PNoy and the economy. Everyone joined the bandwagon. And walla, all-time highs almost everyday for the stock market index (PSEi). 

So choose your pill: Red or blue. Positive or negative. Because there's no turning back. You yourself predict your future, and it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Forget your weight, forget your smell, forget all the number-crunching statistics. In the end, we make our own fate. And if you believe in it with all your heart, you might just get lucky. 

Money never sleeps

I am at the point of my life where I want to work hard, not because I have to but I really want to. I feel like I am in a position where I can say, "I was born to do this." I think know that working hard your arse out is the price to pay to have a decent living. It doesn't have to be perfect. But just enough.

About three weeks ago, I was visiting my 75-year old lola (Inay Feling) and telling her about how I wake up early and work everyday for about 10-12 hours from 7am. That at first I was really adjusting to how to work really hard and dedicate myself to that goal of success. I was telling her that I was happy about it and I enjoy working in those hours. When I talked to her, it may have sounded that I was bragging (and complaining at the same time) about how I work hard everyday because she blurted out and said, "ako nga, binubuksan ko na yung tindahan ala-sais (6am) pa lang hanggang 6pm na rin." And then I really felt humbled.

Inay works really hard and you have to be amazed how she lives her life while making a decent living selling tricycle parts, hardware and other merchandise near our local town public market (she's probably the Ace Hardware of our small palengke). She will never be a big time entrepreneur (although I honestly think she can if she wanted to) but she does have a knock for hard work. I mean, who works 12hours a day without an aircon, dealing with tricycle and jeepney drivers, carpenters and electricians, and what-have-yous at 75 years of age? It's ridiculous. And that's probably why she's happy, contented, and having the time of her life every second.

Money never sleeps. "Bawal ang tutulog tulog sa pansitan." That's probably why my mom also works until 2am almost everyday while waking up at 6am to work work work. I admire my lola and my mom for having that kind of skill and dedication that I have yet to learn and master. I want to. I will. Because in the end, success is not just around the corner. Not an easy turn or a straight line.

To be successful, you have to work hard. And it means hitting that curveball. It's insanely difficult. Unless you practice and anticipate. Unless you walk the walk. Unless you step up and be someone you read about in Forbes Magazine. Unless you stick your balls out and just do it with all your will and all your heart.

We all say and remember that it's not easy to become a CEO of a big company or a dynamic entrepreneur. But what we all forget is that we all have what it takes. We all forget that we are what dreams are really made of. It's just up to us to do the clockwork.

At this time and age, bawal talaga ang tutulog tulog sa pansitan. You don't have to be the next Henry Sy (or any other self-made billionaires whose names are probably mentioned in the definition of hardwork in the dictionary). But you don't have to be the ordinary Juan de la Cruz also. The problem with many of us is we dream...but we stop there and do nothing about it.

There is no such thing as free lunch, so pay the price.

I want to work hard. Do my best in everything. Do all things well. We all do (I hope). No one should stop you, not even yourself!!! We have no time to waste. Money never sleeps, so why would I right? And at times when I feel like ranting, complaining, and just wanted to blow myself up... I'll just look up and say, what would inay do?

My MBA life in Barcelona...

Barcelona, with Torre Agbar

...would have been great. But like I said earlier, I opted for Plan B. A new career instead. It's hard to regret not having an MBA degree from one of the best business schools in the world in a great city like Barcelona if my plan after the MBA is to get to where I am now. So touche.

But before deciding the ultimate fate of my career back in June, I wallowed at the fact that I've been offered a slot in this year's class in IESE Business School. I've met great people (Tim, Cesca, and Aimee) who are now enjoying their first taste of the Barcelona life as 1st yr IESE MBA students. I've talked to a lot of people about my options, but it all boiled down to what I really need and what I can really afford. But I enjoyed looking at details about the school, the program (and don't worry, I knew most of the details about the program even before I was offered a slot as I should), Barcelona and everything it was advertised to be. 

IESE Business School, Barcelona

The IESE MBA is a bilingual MBA (English-Spanish) program. The school specializes on strategy, business economics, and entrepreneurship. Pretty much like any Ivy-league school in Eastern US right? But what makes IESE MBA different is its graduates are on average allegedly not paid as much as its US counterparts (like Harvard or Wharton). (well, this is partly true although this is not really the differential I would like to point out) Kidding aside, what makes IESE different is its corporate culture that emphasizes on business ethics and the social responsibility of business. Students are taught to focus on what they can do for society, while making reasonable profit, and not on obtaining the highest salaries and bonuses possible. This is, for me, the hook. Because seldom do business schools look outside the window and actually point out social responsibility as a core value of their curriculum and overall business school experience. Also 80% of the students are non-Spanish (talk about being international). Not to mention, Barcelona is a great city.

By European standards, living in Barcelona is relatively cheap. You can rent a really nice and decent 1Br flat by yourself at around 400-700EUR. Plus utilities and adsl (which are all I need), you'll probably have to cash in 800-1KEUR all in all. In Paris, London or Geneva, you'll probably pay at least double the amount for the same flat. So Barcelona was I guess okay. But that's around 60K pesos every month. Definitely way above my pay grade in Manila, but considering other European cities are even more expensive, Barcelona seems to be a great option for economically-challenged-developing-country-dwellers like Filipinos aspiring for first-world business education. 

ordinary night in Barca

So besides nice "cheap" flats, what else is interesting about Barcelona? It's filled with culture. And by culture I mean not just Gaudi and his La Sagrada de Familia church and Park Guel, not just the remnants of the 1992 Olympics, not just the beach (dubbed the best beach city by the National Geographic), not just architecture. Not just form, but more importantly the substance. I heard the parties and events are just sick. Music festivals, sports!!,! street dancing, parties!!!. I also want to learn how to play the Spanish guitar. 

I was excited to get around the city while driving a "moto," riding a bike, or taking the bus (like in most European cities, the moto is the best way to travel around the city with style). I imagine VickyCristinaBarcelona every time I day dream about how I wanted to explore the city during the first few months of my stay in Barcelona. Of course, I wouldn't mind having Scarlett Johansson show me around. I want to stroll down those brick-laden streets and eat some tapas en vino. Bocadillo y pollo. I heard the climate is not that harsh. And Spanish girls are also something. In parties.

Learning Spanish for my MBA should be easy since we Filipinos are exposed to many Spanish words everyday. And I earned a total of 12 units of Spanish language courses back in college, so I felt confident that I can adjust pretty well with the challenges of the tongue. That's until I found out that Barcelona speaks Catalan, which is more French than Spanish-sounding. Great. I bet it's going to be a struggle during the first few months. 

IESE Business School was ran and developed by guys from Harvard themselves. Top notch professors, case-studies that are hard to crack, personalized and mentorship approach to education, a very global mindset---these recipes are music to my ears. And IESE was by far my first choice for an MBA education. (other choices are INSEAD, HKUST, USC, UCLA, Chicago Booth). The city should be exactly what it was advertised to be. Admittedly in hindsight, my MBA in Barcelona would really have been great. In fact, I bet it would be awesome. The best business education in one of the best European cities, booze, culture, a mash of different people. What more can I ask for?

Barcelona would have been awesome. But staying and working here ain't bad either. No sighs. No regrets. What can I say, I still think Makati is the best city and the Philippines is the best country in the world. Because my whole life is here. And I wouldn't have it anywhere else.

Of buses, beauty queens, and 21 grams

At any given time, we always count how much we've won and how much we've lost (especially if you're a self-confessed economist). It's easy to count earnings and winnings if you're talking about money or practically everything. But why is it so hard to count the losses? Because at the end of the day, we can't quantify it. We just wish we never lost anything. 


So many events happened in the last 168 hours. Worked for 60. Slept for 40. And what happened in between I try to measure to recount if I gained or lost something. And one look in the mirror says that I've gained a lot in the past few weeks. Weight, that is. Losing this is probably something I'd be happy about. But we all know we gained and lost much more valuable things in the last week than flab and fats. 


For the optimists, the good news is the economy grew by 7.9% in the second quarter of this year, above all consensus and economists estimates. And contrary to what PNoy argued ranted about in his first SONA last month, GMA did need to front-load all the spending needs of the government during the first few months of this year to boost the economy. Even the prophet of boom conveyed that "it would be a sin if GMA didn't do that in the first place." And we all have to thank GMA for a job well done, but "spending millions and millions in a single district in Pampanga" is another story. The market rejoiced at the robust GDP showing, a pleasant surprise for us. And it's up to PNoy and his minions to sustain this kind of momentum. 


I don't know whether to consider Venus Raj's anti-climactic ending to the Ms. Universe campaign as a "major-major" victory for us or a "major-major" shortcoming. The entire thing was filled with drama like a telenovela when Ms.Philippines was called last in the top15-10-5. The gorgeous (but a little exotic for my taste) Venus stole the show up until one of the Baldwin brothers was tasked to ask the ill-fated question that caught our bet off-guard. It was obvious by the classic deflection maneuver--thanking Mr. Baldwin for the question and addressing the crowd. (for the record, I am all for Ximena Navarrete as Ms. Universe. just wow.) But at the end of the day, it was a warm feeling that Venus ended up in the Top5--the highest since 1999 when Miriam Quiambao fell on stage and actually bagged the first runner-up title. For the record, many people feel Ms. Quiambao also faltered in the Q&A portion which begs the question: are Filipinas cut out for impromptu Q&As and speeches? (maybe this is why it's sometimes so hard to get straight answers from girls generally when asked about.... oops never mind)


But what really shocked me during the past seven days was the sudden and tragic demise of another beauty queen, Melody Gersbach. I was never close to Mel but I am around many people who were practically sisters with Mel, and I know many people value her friendship so much. We are in the same DWTL community and for what it's worth we really just lost gained an angel. This is what I am talking about. We really can't quantify how much we've lost especially if it's (or in this case, she's) something(/one) dear to our hearts. The WWJD family offered mass for Mel, and I was--as well as a lot of people-- holding back tears as we sing One Bread and Kaibigan for Mel one last time. Also almost cried when the eulogies were read. I can never understand why something like this happens, but I know as much as you do that everything happens for a reason. God has plans for us and those left to drift the earth for years more must move on and make the best of it. I'm sure Mel had the time of her life, and she lived the 4th day to the fullest. "I never said it would be easy, I just said it would be worth it." Basta ikaw, Mel.


I have nothing but hatred for bus drivers who think they can rule the road, take your lanes, and care about nothing but themselves. So many tragedies involving buses that I am starting to think that driving alongside buses might be as fatal as having a heart attack or an aneurism. 41 died in a bus crash about 10 days ago, who knows how many more died in five-or-so bus accidents I read about earlier this week. Someone please teach those reckless drivers a lesson! Mel did nothing wrong. And most accidents happen because no one but the bus driver made a reckless (and should be avoidable) mistake. geez.


Speaking of buses, 8 people died in a highly-televised 14-hr hostage taking by an ex-cop of a tourist bus. I can't even begin to describe how awful the whole situation was. It's too painful to watch, and we not just lost tourists, but potential tourists, a good and working relationship with HK and China, image, jobs for OFWs, and a lot more. The only winner in this fiasco was the so-called "free" media, who by all means catapulted us into CNN and CNBC fame while giving us an exhibit of "responsible" journalism. And where are all the celebrities and politicians who could have been there to salvage the situation and offer some "star-striking" power to the shutter-island-bound ex-cop? I bet if this hostage-taking happened before the May10 elections, it could have donned another ending. Oh well, lesson learned (I hope). And sorry, no tears or Q&As or hearings can bring those things we lost to justice. 


So how much really have we gained? How much have we lost? In 168 hours, we gained some. We lost some. That's the deal right? We can never explain how much really. One of my favorite movies of all time, 21Grams sums it all up. And I quote Sean Penn as Paul Rivers:


How many lives do we live? How many times do we die? They say we all lose 21 grams... at the exact moment of our death. Everyone. And how much fits into 21 grams? How much is lost? When do we lose 21 grams? How much goes with them? How much is gained? How much is gained? Twenty-one grams. The weight of a stack of five nickels. The weight of a hummingbird. A chocolate bar. How much did 21 grams weigh?  


Really, life may be worth 21 grams. To friends and families of Mel, and all the victims of bus accidents, and the hostages of that ill-fated bus, 21 grams cannot be measured. I wish it is easy to quantify but in the end some things are just priceless. Some things we really can't afford to lose. 


For me, screw the flab and fats. I'd gladly gain 100x 21grams anytime if it means bringing back those lives. If it means recouping all those losses.

Waiting in Vain

"Waiting in Vain" From Flickriver (MarcoShenone)

I've been rereading my blogposts from my defunct multiply account and just thought this will be a good repost. Posted three years ago (July 2007). My excuse to post without writing anything new. 

An average person spends roughly around 5 years of his life just waiting. By waiting I mean like waiting for a cab, waiting for food to be served, waiting for your name to be called on the pay counter, or waiting for your yaya to fetch you from school. Small things, really. Things that makes us idle for a while. Naghihintay lang. And with the fast-pace lifestyle we are used to, 5 years is a lot of time. For one, an average lifespan is only 60 years; this makes our waiting time about 8.3% of our lives. For every twelve minutes of our lives, we spend one minute waiting. And this waiting is not even useful, not something you deliberately want to do. Not waiting for big things. Mga mabababaw na bagay lang.

If you’ll think about it, waiting is not that bad at all. Waiting for your coffee to be served for one is not bad at all, but what if you can spend those 5 precious years of waiting for small things for something greater, something fabulous, something legendary, and something you know will be the defining moment of your existence? If that’s the case, then I honestly despise waiting. Iisipin mo na pwede mo pang mabago ang buhay mo with that 5 years. You can make your life better; you can spend more time with the things and persons you truly love. 


Or, you can even destroy your life.

But the point is, nakakapaghintay tayu para sa mga walang kwentang bagay, mga bagay na kaya mo lang hinihintay ay no choice ka… 5 years of our lives dedicated to be transaction costs for small things… Sana lang, wag na natin dagdagan. Don’t waste your life waiting for something nice to happen, waiting for the opportune time, waiting for a miracle. Make a move and do it yourself. Make your own miracle. Carpe Diem! Otherwise, 5 becomes 10 becomes 20 becomes 40 years and you’ll end up watching your own life pass you by.

This applies to everything: your career, your love life, your spiritual formation, your interests, your passion. It is really hard not to wait because it is more comfortable. Sasabihin natin na bukas nalang, or saka na lang, or wag na lang. Iniiwasan natin kasi di natin alam kung kaya ba natin harapin. Or tinatamad lang talaga tayo. It is very comfortable to wait, especially if you know you have time to spare. If you think you can give up about 20 years of your life for waiting, then good for you. But there is no going back. Wala nang what ifs.

When you’re old and cranky, disabled and worn off, how would you like to describe your life? Full of waiting or one heck of a ride? I’d gladly take the second one. I’m sure you’ll pick that too. We don’t want to have regrets, and we sure don’t have time to waste. There is only one road to take for our journey in life. Make sure to choose the right stopovers along the way. Walang reverse eh. So wag na natin dagdagan pa ang paghihintay, 5 years waiting for nonsense is enough. Gawin mo na…

Now the question really is: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Bearish Sentiments

I need to wake up in five hours but I'm too restless to fall asleep. I had a 12-hour workday today, but I still mustered to hit the treadmill for some cardio exercise. Big day tomorrow. I am tired and I need some rest. But I couldn’t.

For the first time in two weeks I stopped the rhythm. I was on fire. I was getting everything I need. I felt like this is exactly where I want to be, figured everything is exactly what I would have hoped for in the past. But for a split-second it wasn’t. I sighed. And I knew there was something wrong when I shed some tears while watching Mr. Big down on his knees, offering a diamond-clad 500-dollar shoe asking Carrie Bradshaw to marry him.

At that moment I felt like I should just let go. Stop pretending that everything is okay when really, it isn’t. I know I am tough—but deep inside this armor, the warrior is a child. And yes, I do look like one, but the point is like the Gary V song, most people don’t know that I come running home when I fall down. Maybe I should, maybe being EMO for a second wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Tomorrow morning I’ll wake up feeling better. I know I’ll regain my strides. I know I’ll be fine. But tonight I am not. Tonight I am scared. Tonight I have to admit that this self-wallowing is gratifying. This is the price I have to pay so I can feel better tomorrow.

It’s like the share prices in the stock market. It’s going to correct at a certain point because it’s too high already, that it’s only artificial. Maybe I am like that. I am feeling high about the fact that I love everything that’s happening to me now. Well, ok: most—not everything. But still, this moment is my correction period. My way of telling myself to take it easy because you’ll get that TP (target price) in time. But now you just have to be contented with being traded at a discount.

But I can’t wait to outperform the market. My gut feel tells me the potential upside is limitless. 

The Economics Behind LeBron James’ Decision

I woke up this morning. Did my thing and browsed through news channels—CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg. NYSE is already closed, but there are plenty of talks about the European economy, British Petroleum, China’s currency peg, inflation rates and the rather bleak US employment data—all bound to affect the stock market and economies all over the world. But none of those have such effect on emotional investors than the LEBRON JAMES DECISION. LBJ pollutes the Bloomberg news as if he's the newly elected President of the United States; as if he brings the news that the stock market is about to crash big time.

For those who don’t know a thing about basketball, LeBron James is one of the best ballers (probably the best in the world currently, arguably the most solid and most sought after athlete in the NBA) who ever existed.  He was drafted in 2003 by the Cleveland Cavaliers and for seven years, LeBron tried hard to win a championship. His contract expired this year, and together with top NBA “free-agents” Dwanye Wade and Chris Bosh, LeBron wanted to go to a team with nothing less than a title in mind. He announced today that he is joining Wade and Bosh in Miami. And suddenly, NBA teams felt the Goosebumps.  Three of the best basketball athletes in the NBA today all in one team. Talk about your worst nightmare.  It’s like having an all-star game every night.

And Cleveland will not be very happy about it. Cleveland’s economy was non-existent, up until LeBron stole the show as a local who would finally change the course of Cleveland’s sports history (Cleveland is title-less in all the 4 major sports in the US). To put things into perspective, let me ask, what was Cleveland Cavaliers worth without LeBron? LeBron is worth so much to Cleveland that Forbes magazine estimates that the franchise’s overall value will drop $100 million if James bolts for greener pastures. That’s a 21% drop in team’s current net worth of $476 million.

People in Ohio are now burning LeBron’s jerseys. Disgusted. Depressed. Bitter. They should be. The golden boy, the “King” of NBA just left for greener pastures. And by greener pastures I mean not the money. LeBron will likely make the most bucks in New York or Cleveland, but he chose Miami because with Wade and Bosh, the NBA title is most likely to land in Miami. All roads point to Miami as NBA experts pick them as the early favorites to win the title in 2011. Probably in 2012 also. 2013. Why not?

I just hate it. But it doesn’t matter. LeBron pursued his dream to cement his legacy in the NBA. To be an NBA champ finally. He is probably on his way to do that. This is his first move. And it makes economic sense (at least for him, not the Miami Heat because now the team will have around $45-50 million in salaries committed to Wade-Bosh-James, and only less than $10 million for the remaining 12 rosters). Miami is his better alternative because of Wade and Bosh. New York, Chicago, New Jersey, Los Angeles and Cleveland made their pitches. But in the end, for LeBron, it’s all about the championship title.

This will be an interesting era in the NBA. Three of the best players in the NBA in one team. And these players are in their prime (mid-20s) unlike the “Big Three” in the Boston Celtics team (Allen-Pierce-Garnett are in their 30s when they came together). LeBron’s decision will surely have an impact on the future of the NBA, and the economies of the cities involved. Miami got the biggest share of the pie. But imagine if LeBron chose to join NY instead. I’m willing to bet the NASDAQ and the S&P will hit green in seconds.

I may think (feel) LeBron is gay for joining Miami. But it’s his decision. His $15-20 million. It's his life. His shot at the title. I could have even done the same if given a chance. Geeeezzz. Anything for legacy huh? Giving up his big ego for a bigger EGO. That’s the economics of his decision. Good luck to the other teams in the NBA.

Of Dreams and Skyscrapers

Lunchtime, Saturday. I was eating lunch at the second floor of a Ministop store in Bonifacio Global City. As I indulge in Ministop's Chicken meal (seriously, everyone should try Ministop's chicken recipe, it's like Jollibee's Chicken Joy, only bigger and cheaper), I realized I wasn't too hard to please. I had my first rice meal for the week, and this day was supposed to be my "cheat day." This time I can practically eat everything I want without feeling guilty about it, to savor/celebrate the efforts I made all week to deprive myself of rice and gluttony. And I did it with a 70-peso chicken meal from Ministop. Got a book to read and a magnificent view of a spurring city. What else can I ask for? (well, I could have chosen to eat elsewhere but with no one to share a Saturday lunch with right now, why even bother? besides, I might have saved myself some serious bucks because of this)

As I enjoy my meal (eyes wide shut, literally finger-licking the juiciness of the chicken drumstick, gravy sauce dripping from my mouth---I ate like a pig!), I looked at the glass windows.

I marvel at the buildings in front of me. I marvel at developments, skyscrapers, and real estate--while dreaming about concrete, steel rebars, aluminum cladding, and stone walls. I should have been an architect. It occurred to me that I wanted to build something. Something tangible. Something big. Something that will be a lasting legacy of my existence. I bet, these thoughts occurred to the real estate tycoons of our times. Andrew Tan, Manny Villar, John Gokongwei, Henry Sy, and the Ayala clan. Real estate in the Philippines is all about legacy. Track record. Reputation. Stature. Landmarks. And I find all these fascinating. I always find the real estate industry very fascinating. 

Being in this industry for two years taught me many things. Some important. Some are self-explanatory. But I do know one thing: it takes a lot to build successful real estate empires. You can't just be a billionaire and start being successful in real estate. You should create VALUE for properties. It's one thing to have the perfect location, but it is more important to maximize the potential of a property. You can have a mediocre property, but you can make it matter in a heartbeat. Just create VALUE. This is what Bonifacio Global City taught us. Less than two decades ago, BGC was an old military property. All 200 hectares of it. Sold to private corporations who developed the masterplan for one of the (currently) most prime locations in Metro Manila.

BGC's size is almost identical to Makati CBD. But the pace of development in BGC is something we haven't seen in the Philippines before. Makati took three decades to build all those skyscrapers and concrete jungles. BGC is just a decade old. Approximately 70 buildings, 120 offices, 10,000 condominium units, 300 retail-food-service shops, dozens of institutional locators, and thousands of employee population later, BGC's value went from 30,000 per square meter to almost 200,000 per square meter. Obviously, BGC created its own VALUE.

Value is the price of success in real estate development. You can have all the money in the world; but if your property does not have value, it's not going to happen for you. This is what fascinates me about the property sector... Success here is a combination of money, guts, and creating value. That's why the smartest tycoons are successful in property; they know how to create value in property. 

I am amazed at how BGC became the sought-after location in Metro Manila when ten years ago this piece of real estate can be deemed barren... full of grass and small animal species. I was savoring the last bite of that chicken meal and I realized I love this place. I love development. I love potentials and success. In real estate. I think it's fascinating because it's tangible. It can be admired. Developments are welcome changes. A sight for sore eyes. BGC is a city that has successfully created its own value in such a short time. You can obviously see, feel, touch, taste the success of BGC. In essence, BGC leaped. It overtook other spurring districts in Metro Manila--Ortigas Center, Eastwood City, Alabang, Quezon City. 

BGC created value. changed perspectives. Rattled conventions. Exploited opportunities.

Hmmmmmmm. Sounds familiar?

Yes. Because these things are common to success. I realized as I looked at the glass window that there's no specific formula for different kinds of success. It's all the same. LEAP. Creating value to every opportunity given to you. All the talents. All the money/or even the lack of it. Be creative. Adopt. Think out of the box. Defy all conventions. Be bold. These pep-talks are far from wrong. They are battle cries. Because no matter how cliche those words are, they might be just the things we need to win. To succeed. 

Real estate taught me so many things in a short period of time. And I know success in real estate is very measurable. And by all means, believe me, creating value is the key to success. And it's darn hard to create value using concrete, steel rebars, aluminum cladding and stone walls. Just like it's hard to eat rice just once a week. Just like it's hard to settle for Ministop lunch over gourmet food. Just like it's hard to perfect a chicken recipe. Just like it's hard to build a successful career. Just like it's hard to be successful in life. 

I may not be an architect who builds skyscrapers. I may never be a real estate tycoon (fingers still crossed: my exposure to real estate makes me really hopeful that someday I will be) who spends billions to build office towers and residential condominiums. But I am building my own life as we speak. I may not grow tall anymore (God knows how badly I want to), but my life grows everyday. Whether I like it or not, I am building my own skyscraper, adding to the skyline our ancestors provided for us. BGC is my inspiration. I want to build myself fast. I want to be sought after. I want my life to be priceless--like all lives should be. Yes. I am here to build my own skyscraper-life. It's going to be a landmark.

Wow. All these thoughts over a Ministop chicken meal? Imagine what I could have thought of while eating an angus-beef steak or a Chilean sea bass. 

Plan B

About eight months ago, I decided that I wanted to get an MBA. I want to get it fast. I felt the window of opportunity was going to be open for this year only. Why? I was at the crossroads of my career--planning to either continue doing what I did for the past two years or finally switch to a new industry. I would want to settle down in a couple of years, start a family and be financially independent. So it's got to be now...

But what pressed me the most to do the MBA was my genuine desire to improve my career through business education.  I mean look at the CEOs and directors of big companies. Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, Columbia. Ivy League. Stone-brick walls and hollow halls. On the other side of the Atlantic, London Business School, INSEAD, IESE, IMD. I want those. It became an instant dream, a dream that I honestly think I can actually go for.

I did. And I had only one school in mind. IESE Business School - University of Navarre in Barcelona, Spain. Arguably one of the top B-schools in the world (at least according to The Economist, Financial Times, and the BusinessWeek). Story short, I got ACCEPTED and have been OFFERED a slot in this year's MBA class (more on this on later posts). 

But I'm not going. 

Instead, in a sudden twist of fate, I am opting for Plan B. A career shift. Giving up my current job for another. Only this time, it's ten times harder, a hundred times more challenging, and a thousand times more stressful. This is great. Giving up a life in a fishbowl with Flounder and Nemo for a (non)life in a shark tank. Well, not really. At least that's what I think this is. 

So what really happened here? I gave up one dream to reach another. And now I realize there are too many dreams to choose from. This is typical. WE ALL WANT IT ALL don't we? This is our nature. But in reality we can only have one dream at a time. You have to choose which ones to reach first. We all have to choose which one. I'm not saying I can't do the MBA in IESE anymore, but I right now I have chosen this dream. A dream of finding a career that is just right, something that will challenge me to new heights, something that will maximize my talents, my potential, my gifts from God. A dream of fulfillment that's beyond monetary needs...

(Okay, not really. Who am I kidding. Money is and has always been part of it. But I'd like to think it isn't so.)

So Plan B happened. And it was a difficult decision. I've invested so much money and emotion into getting the MBA this year. But I have a strong feeling I won't regret this. My gut feel says I'm going to be fine. It's going to be fabulous. It's going to be legend--wait for it--ary (borrowed from Barney Stinson). And I can't wait to start my new career in a few weeks. I am excited! And I felt vindicated when I saw the look on my Boss's face when I told him I'm packing. He smiled as if saying "you did the right thing and I wish you the best of luck." (at least I'm hopeful he really felt this way) I was so relieved. 

In economics, there is such a thing as the "second best choice." When the best choice is not available, the second best choice is of course your best bet. But it doesn't mean you're settling. It just means under the current circumstances you are in, the second best fits the bill. 

For me, both choices--MBA or a career change (in a field I have been in the past few years hopeful to be in)--are great. I guess you can call it a win-win situation since it's not really that bad if I turned out to be successful in this upcoming career; or if I turned out to be ok after the MBA. But it is what it is, I have made my decision although I still (day)dream about Barcelona and the best B-school in the world... I came so close to reaching that dream. 

You see? This crossroads of dreams I encountered over the first six months of this year posted economic problems for me. How do I choose what's right for me? How do I know if this is the right choice? How do I know what will benefit me the most--short term and long term? What do I have to pay to achieve those dreams?

It seems to me that the most glaring price to pay for reaching one dream is to give up the other... at least for now. Then there comes effort, prudence, patience, and what-have-you's. In a few weeks I will start a new career. In a few months I will find out just how much I will have to give more. In a few years I will definitely find out if all of this is worth it. But no regrets. 

Now I'm here, where soon I will be swimming in unfamiliar (and possibly treacherous) waters. I will try to stay afloat. I will try to outswim those sea monsters. And something tells me I'm going to pull off a Michael Phelps.

UBUNTU: Success in the NBA

Measuring SUCCESS is very relative. For some it’s being able to afford Hermés bags, Chopard watches, or a sporty BMW M3 (guilty here). For some, it’s being at the helm of a multinational company; for some it’s simply educating and helping people (hats tip to Efren Peñaflorida); for some (like Philippine president-elect Homer Simpson Noynoy Aquino) it’s winning a presidential election… although this I strongly oppose… who, in his right mind would want to head a country like the Philippines—facing trillions of dollars in foreign debt, PhP300 Billion budget deficit, at least 20 million Filipinos starving, while basically earning a measly PhP60,000 a month in direct salary. Well, unless you count access to more than USD20 Billion of tax revenue each year as a measurement of success. But that’s another story.

For my NBA team—Boston Celtics—it’s nothing less than winning a title. For Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce, it was a dream three years ago. But as part of the Celtics team they became champions in 2008, not because they were athletic but they worked as a team. The price of living that elusive dream to be NBA champs is giving up statistics, individualism, stardom—in other words, giving up individual EGOs to establish a COLLECTIVE EGO. The price of being called “champs,” is working as a team. In the 2010 NBA season, that’s what they tried to be. (Flashback: In 2009, Kevin Garnett, the team’s defensive pillar injured himself in the second half of the season, so go figure what happened to their campaign that year)

Coach Doc Rivers called the Celtics to be a TEAM. He adopted the African philosophy of UBUNTU—which focuses on people’s allegiances and relations to each other, emphasizing compassion and humanity. The Boston Celtics became the UBUNTU team with only one common goal: to win. Feared, envied, and most of the time hated by other teams in the NBA. The team’s mantra that was posted in the locker rooms read, “Individuals win games; Teams win titles.” It was an inspiring quote, something MBA schools can use to teach aspiring tycoons, or something generals can shout about as battle cry to their troops in war.

So what happened?

Unless you’re not into the NBA like my Scottish colleague who thinks basketball is boring, you know that the L.A. Lakers won the 2010 NBA Title. The NBA’s most storied franchises—Celtics and Lakers—make up one of the most famous (arch) rivalries in sports and they have 33 NBA championships between them. The Lakers won in 2009 and they still have Kobe Bryant who is by far the best baller in the world. Of course they were expected to win again this year. They did. But the story is not about them. It’s about a mediocre team (4th seed in the East) whom most people predicted to be out in the early rounds of the playoffs. It’s about that UBUNTU Celtics team who faced none other than the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

The Cinderella story didn’t end with a parade celebration in downtown Boston for the Celtics’ unprecedented 18th NBA title. But it was UBUNTU that brought them six minutes or five points away from that. Boston knocked out three heavyweights on its way to face the Lakers in the Finals. Three of NBA’s best players—Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard—and their teams all went down against the Celtics. How? Teamwork. It was beautiful to watch.

LeBron (King) James cannot carry his team alone, and this is the lesson these Celtics taught the world. Success, no matter how impossible, can be achieved with the proper mindset. For basketball, it is teamwork. Kobe Bryant scored 38 points in Game 5 of the Finals but they lost. Boston’s team had six players scoring at least 10 points in that game. That, my friends, is called teamwork. This is why other NBA teams are jealous of the UBUNTU: no other team is even close to resembling the level where these Boston Celtics compete when they are at their best. This philosophy was so strong that despite all the difficulties they faced all season, they remained resilient against the best teams in the NBA. It all paid off.

A lot of things went wrong in the last 15 minutes of the do-or-die Game 7 of the NBA Finals when the Celtics played poorly and the Lakers played like champs. But these Celtics already proved their point all along. No one picked them as the eastern conference champs; no one believed they could give the Lakers a challenge; no one expected them to live past Lebron and Dwight. UBUNTU did it. That’s what it really takes to win. That is the price of winning in the NBA.

In November, we might see a very different Celtics team, with some of its pieces new, and some old pieces replaced. But I believe their mindset will again take them to places no one expected them to reach. They will try to be champs again; most likely they will fail again. But I’m not betting against their chances. Because they have what it takes to win a title.

Success is relative… and with UBUNTU, to me this team succeeded.

Caveat: The author is obviously a Celtics fan.