My Temporary Assignment to Dresden Germany - Europe in the Eyes of a Filipino

I wouldn’t say I am a traveled man. I have been to a few countries but I’m certain more people have traveled to more places than I have. Still, my recent trip to Germany has revealed to me the uniqueness of this part of the world. I can’t say that it’s necessarily better but it certainly has a few things going for it. I felt the richness of history all around the place which I very much appreciate.

This historical tradition is even more astonishing when you see them side-by-side with technological advancement.

How Our Trip to Anawangin Cove Made our Summer 2013 Truly Great

Sometimes work can consume our time and thoughts so much that we forget there is life outside it. To relieve ourselves of the stress-induced work environment, rest and relaxation is always a great idea. That’s how most of us felt when our small group went for a summer outing to Anawangin Cove.

There were about nine of us when we left Clark, Pampanga early one morning bound for San Antonio, Zambales. We knew the trip was going to take about two hours so we planned to start at five in the morning. But our sleep-deprived colleagues overslept and so we were only able to begin our travel at around six.

We arranged for a van for transportation. With the size of our group, we thought a mini-van was perfect for our needs. It saved us the trouble of knowing how to get there. We also thought that if we were the one to drive, we'd get tired and enjoy the trip less. Overall, we thought it would save us money so we were lucky to find this van you can see in the photo above. It's brand-spanking new according to the owner. We were the first client to use it.

How to Maximize Your Creativity with Systems

Whether we realize it or not, our creativity is very important to us. It’s not just artists, painters, or even writers who profit from their creativity. Unless your profession is extremely mechanical in nature, you also employ your creativity to solve problems at work. That’s how most of us add value to the company we work for. The problems we address may be small or it may be big, still the outcome helps the business operate effectively.

Photo Credit: maven (Creative Commons)

To make the point concrete, here are some examples to illustrate how we use our creativity at work:

How to Lessen Crime in the Philippines

Crime is a problem in any poor country. The Philippines is no exception. Nightly news is full of crime reports committed on a daily basis. But as the country heads to a more prosperous future, many expect crime to go down eventually. After all, experts surmised, people who lack are the ones committing these despicable acts. When everyone is better off, fewer people will consider committing crimes because there will be less reason for it. Or so we thought.

Photo Credit: The.Comedian (Creative Commons)

The Upside of Making Mistakes

Earlier today, a friend of mine was laid to his final resting place. We were born on the same year and I have known him since we were kids. Besides being a really sad event, his death is a strong reminder to me that time is indeed the most precious resource we will ever have.

Photo Credit: Jack Zalium (Creative Commons)

Surely, I have known this to be true all along. But it is one thing to acknowledge a fact and quite another to know how to act knowing it. And with respect to our limited time on this world, I’m sure I can do better than what I’m doing now.