Blogging Your Thoughts

Blogging Your Thoughts

(Babble On, for the Sunstar Davao, September 28, 2007)

Blogging seems to be the newest medium of discussion on the internet. Where people once went to newspapers and columns like this one to read up on opinions and ideas on current events, more and more internet users are now turning to blogs. In fact, blogs have become one of the most popular ways to communicate and share one’s thoughts.

One reason for this is how it allows people to communicate on a mass-level in a simple manner. Adam Salamon a personal branding advocate agrees. “Now with the internet and blogs, we all have the ability to communicate on a mass level. We now all have the ability to let the world know what we think and what our unique perspective of things are.”

Blogie Robillo, a prominent Dabawenyo blogger has even taken up the cudgels of being a blog evangelist. In his own blog, he mentions that he was able to inspire a few of his friend start their own blogs. He hopes to inspire more people to get into blogging and share their thoughts to the world.

The Dot TK Experiment

I am trying out this new domain name I got from www.dot.tk. So instead of that long www.kelvinlesterlee.wordpress.com domain, I got this free and much shorter one: www.kelvinlee.tk. I love the fact that it is much shorter and easier to remember, but I hate that annoying ad at the top. I had originally wanted no ads at all for this site. Well I get the www.kelvinlee.tk free for a month. If ever that ad gets to be too annoying, let me know and perhaps I’ll scrap the entire .tk experiment and go back to the plain old wordpress domain.

To those who, out of the goodness of their hearts, plan to make a link to this blog, please do use the long one: www.kelvinlesterlee.wordpress.com, since that one is permanent, while the www.kelvinlee.tk MAY only be temporary. Thanks!

As a quick aside, I am actually surprised that the more popular posts of my past articles so far have been Learning to Love & Of Moose and Men. Considering I usually write about serious stuff like politics, current events, business and law, it is funny that the few forays I made into “warm and fuzzy feelings” writing has turned out to be the ones read the most. Hmm…

LET’S EXPERIMENT!

A Treaty with Darth Vader: The Revenge of the President

A Treaty with Darth Vader: The Revenge of the President

(Babble On, published on May 20, 2005)

In an attempt to lift dwindling approval ratings, the Philippine Supreme President Glory MakiStarwars Ayoko signed a treaty that entered the Philippines into a strategic alliance with the Intergalactic Empire. Lord Darth Vader, personal representative of Emperor Palpatine, signed for the Empire.

In a ceremony in Manila City, the President and Vader, despite the large height difference, shook hands in a historic agreement dubbed “The Revenge of the President.” The treaty would allow the Empire to recruit Filipinos into the Stormtrooper Legions, in exchange for large amounts of money which will go into the treasury of the Philippine Government. Another stipulation in the treaty would allow the Philippines to call on the Empire to aid them in times of rebellion or invasion.

The Beijing Principles

The Beijing Principles

(Babble On, For Friday, Sept. 21, 2007)

This column started out with me living and writing in Beijing. I lived in the capital of China for a few years, studied Chinese and made a living. I even fell in love (which is a story for another day).

In short, I made a life there, and it was a good life. While there, I managed to not only survive, but even thrive. I was a training consultant for a number of different companies in Beijing. I taught English in several schools and wrote articles for a local magazine. And this was on top of writing this weekly opinion column for the Sunstar Davao. I was independent, self-sufficient and more confident than I had ever been in my entire life, up to that point.

Doing all that wasn’t easy. I was in a foreign land, knew no one, had no connections, did not speak the language, was stuck in a city where the natives were not exactly what you would call friendly, and had to compete with westerners nearly everywhere. So I cried myself to sleep the first few nights I was there (yes yes, tears are for women. I cried anyway).

Why I Now Blog

Some Random Thoughts

I started blogging way back in 2002. Don’t believe me? Check out the very first blog I created over here.

This should make me some kind of blogging pioneer, but around that time, I had also started writing my Babble On Column for the Sunstar Davao. So I decided, instead, to concentrate on the column instead of blogging. I did try and put my columns into an online archive in blogspot, but due to the difficult demands of work and writing for other publications in Beijing, as well as some internet censorship issues which often blocked my access to my blogs while I was living in China, I chose to just give them up. By the time I got back to the Philippines, law school beckoned and kept me insanely busy.

So why am I blogging now? Well, I lost a lot of my old columns when my old computer died on me. I think some are still over at Sunstar online, but I myself don’t have any soft copies anymore. Only a scant few old articles remain. Since I didn’t want that to happen again, I chose to restart my blogging and at the same time, backup my words and thoughts.

Another reason would be blogs like that of Penelope Trunk, Employee Evolution, The Modite and Blogie Robillo. All these writers are blog evangelists and in a sense, I guess I got evangelized. I like the idea of blogging. I like the idea of sharing my random thoughts and ideas to the world at large, and somehow making a difference by doing so. I have been trying to do that with the column for the last 5 years. I now plan on trying that with this blog too.

As time goes on, and as I find more of my old articles, I will slowly upload them here. So this blog will be updated fairly frequently with three things: old columns, new columns (every Friday) and my own random thoughts.

But what’s the goal of this blog? Well, I hope to make a difference, to spark some change or to offer advice or even to just share a different point of view with readers. To rephrase Wong Fu Productions (these guys make great video shorts btw) , “if at the end of the day, my babblings are able to make a difference in your life, no matter how slightly, whether it’s in the way you think, the way you look at something or in making you simply smile and laugh, then I’ve succeeded. “

I hope this blog and the articles it contains, can make a difference in your life in a positive manner, one way or the other.

Let’s Babble On!

5 Tips For Doing Business in China

5 Tip For Doing Business in China

Zhang Xin and her husband, Pan Shiyi, are a China business power couple. They are the Co-CEOS of the property development company Soho China, and they are well-known for their funky, yet popular aesthetics for the many building projects they have put up. With more than 1.5. million square meters, Soho is the leading developer in Beijing’s central business district.

In the Wall Street Journal Asia Edition (Sept. 18, 2007), Zhang Xin offers these 5 tips for those doing business in China:

1. Believe you are the most privileged person for being in the right place, at the right time.

2. Enjoy competition; there is always plenty.

3. Enjoy a healthy dose of insecurity; always try harder.

4. Never think too much about wealth; it’s a mere means for advancing civilization.

5. Go to bed early.

The Red Ribbon Committee

The Red Ribbon Committee

Note: Originally entitled “Senate Cites Wrong Cabinet Member in Contempt.”

(Babble On, Published on Sept. 23, 2005)

The Senate’s newly revamped and renamed Red Ribbon Committee, after being stymied in their attempt during a hearing to get answers from an unhelpful Cabinet official surnamed Gonzales, cited him for contempt.

Senator Dyoker Ayoko, who is the Chairman of the Red Ribbon Committee and was responsible for the Committee’s name change in honor of a famous Filipino bakery, distributed yummy chocolate cakes and ordered the Committee’s Sergeant-at-arms to give out coffee. The Senator then ordered the Sergeant-at-arms to take the Cabinet official into custody.

“We cite him in contempt,” said the Senator. “Oh and pass me some of that Black Forest cake.”

8 Things I Learned from the Stock Market

8 Things I learned from the Stock Market

(Babble On, Published in the Sunstar Davao on June 22, 2007)
Yes I succumbed. I jumped into the stock market because I thought I could make a killing. Instead I think the stock market is killing me. Not literally of course. Just mentally, emotionally and a little bit financially. Although, as a personal disclosure, I did make a tiny paper profit in the market. Just a little.

I haven’t entirely been killed by the market yet though. I still got some fairly good investments (and braincells) left. Plus I learned some lessons which I am now sharing with you. So it wasn’t a total loss. You can use these lessons in everyday life too, and you don’t even have to go to the stock market and spend money to try it out.

1. Never Ever Trust Rumors. – rumors and gossip, call it whatever you want. These are basically unverified information. Most of which is not even reliable or true. This is especially applicable to those stock “tips” which are often based on the rumors we are talking about. In business and in life, you have to decide based on good, solid and reliable information. So don’t invest or do anything unless you are sure the news you are basing your actions on is reliable. Otherwise you may just wind up losing your shirt. Literally.

What I Learned from Erap’s Life

What I Learned from Erap’s Life

(Babble On, for the Sunstar Davao, Sept. 14, 2007)

The decision is out and Erap has been declared guilty of plunder by the Sandiganbayan. Looking at his life, one can’t help but wonder at how quickly Erap rose to power, and how quickly he fell. His story is definitely one for the history books. From becoming President via the largest landslide election margin in history, he became a criminal sentenced to prison for the rest of his life.

So what are the lessons one can learn from his story?

1.) Choose Your Friends Wisely – Erap was said to have a group of friends that were always around during the good times. The so-called “Midnight Cabinet” would stay up at the Presidential Palace with him till the wee hours of the morning, drinking and carousing. These friends took advantage of Erap’s position of power through countless anomalous transactions. These were the people Erap thought would be with him through thick and thin. But where are they now? Few of the “Midnight Cabinet” remain loyal, and almost none of them were by his side when he was declared guilty. In fact, some members of this “cabinet” were the reason for his downfall! It is in the difficult moments in one’s life that one learns who his true friends are. Erap has just learned who his true friends are, and none of the Midnight Cabinet is included among them.

Learning to Love

Learning to Love

(Babble On, Published in the Sunstar Davao, February 25, 2005)

It’s the end of February, the month of love, and I am reminded of a conversation I had with an Indian banker. Mr. Krishna, vice-president of an Indian bank, was the most senior in our marketing class in Manila. He took a liking to me and had attempted to impart some advice on matters of the heart over dinner.

“Kelvin,” he told me, “when it comes to love, trust your mother.”

At first I thought I heard him wrong. Mr. Krishna, don’t you mean, trust my heart?

“No, no, trust your MOTHER. She knows best about love.”

Legal Tidbits

Legal Tidbits

(Babble On, Published in the Sunstar Davao, November 12, 2004. Republished by Weddings at Work)

Over the course of my studies, I picked up a few bits of legal information that I find rather interesting. I thought I would share it with the readers of Sunstar. Hopefully this will help make the law be a little less intimidating. After all, the law is designed to be for the greater good of people. The law’s purpose is to help, not complicate matters.

***

Did you know that your middle name is not actually your mothers surname? Common usage and vast amounts of paperwork, where there is a request for your middle initial, have made people think that the middle name is, well, your mom’s maiden name (for example Kelvin Lester KING Lee). However, Article 375 of the Civil Code provides that, in case descendents and ascendants have identical names and surnames, the word junior can only be used by a son. Grandsons and other direct male descendants can instead add a middle name or the mother’s surname.

That passage means that the law has, indirectly differentiated between the middle name and the mother’s surname. As a result, your middle name would actually be your SECOND name. (Kelvin LESTER King Lee), and NOT your mother’s surname, as provided for by law.

So basically all those forms you have been filling out since time immemorial that required your “middle initial” or your “middle name” in the space where you are supposed to put your mother’s surname, are wrong!

The Passion of Leadership

The Passion of Leadership: Changing the World for the Better

Leadership is considered a myriad concept to many. There are those who prefer to seemingly dismiss leadership as nothing more but a required compulsion whereby those with less authority are required to listen and follow one of a higher authority.

However such a simplistic understanding of leadership would negate the many great leaders who have inspired their organizations, countries and the world at large with their grand visions and passions. None can deny the effect that leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi had as a leader, nor can anyone challenge the greatness of Nelson Mandela as a leader and others of their ilk. Yet neither derived their leadership from any sense of compulsive authority. They led because they had a vision of what they could do to make the world a better place. They led because they had the passion to do so. They led because they were willing to die for their beliefs and to meet their goal, and thus inspired countless thousands to follow them, thereby changing their respective societies.

Law and Leadership

LAW AND LEADERSHIP

(Article published in the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Leader Magazine, January-March 2007 Issue)

The Law is, to many people, a myriad and very abstract concept that seems almost magical. Even those whose profession demands mastery of the law, such as lawyers, often have difficulty articulating concretely what the law is. Compound the abstractness of law with the concept of leadership, which many consider just as abstract, and you have a recipe for confusion. Or so you would think.

Many intellectuals seemingly advocate that leadership is the domain of those in the management sector. Many of the more prominent leaders are those who possess an MBA or management diplomas. The reality however, is that lawyers have served just as well in leadership positions. This article hopes to discuss and elaborate on lawyers as leaders, the concepts of law and leadership in the view of law practitioners, what it takes to be a good leader and on the vital interplay or connection between law and leadership.

Being Positive

BEING POSITIVE

Babble On for Friday, September 7, 2007 (Actually published on Sept. 8, 2007)

I attended a seminar last week where Rico Hizon gave a talk on Leading in a Cross-Cultural environment. Mr. Hizon is currently the only Filipino broadcaster in BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation). The Asian Business Report, the TV show which he anchors, is considered to be one of the most well-respected and widely watched business news show on Asia. When asked how someone could become as successful as he was, he said “you always have to be happy.” The reason he did so well in BBC, which is a multi-cultural office filled with people from all over the world, was because he always injected a positive aspect into the workplace. He avoided cynics and infected his unit with optimism.

I loved his talk so much I told my girlfriend about it. I was going on and on about how we should have more Filipinos like Mr. Hizon, instead of the millions of depressed and cynical people here, and how the Philippines was such a negative place. I didn’t notice that I had been ranting and complaining about our country for a good 15 minutes or so, until she touched my elbow and quietly told me that I was being negative now.

That floored me.

I had become exactly what I didn’t want to be. A cynic. A whiner and complainer who can’t even seem to say nice things about his own country. I looked through some of my articles in the last few years and it confirmed what I had just figured out. I was a cynic.